Tehachapi, Picnic 

Following the Inside Out Photobooth Action and The Road installation, JR organized a picnic on the Facility C yard. The Tehachapi, Picnic was a welcome break from the monotonous daily routine of prison and a celebration of the art the participants had created together. 

JR’s team, correctional officers, and all the men housed in the facility shared a meal around a tarp made of the eyes of Ruett, who lost his seven-year-old son due to gang violence. In making peace with what happened, Ruett has dedicated his life to helping incarcerated men turn their lives around; he has conducted workshops with the men incarcerated in Tehachapi. You can hear Ruett’s whole story in his own words by exploring The Yard mural on the JR:murals app.

JR began the practice of hosting a picnic at the end of a project during his Kikito installation in 2017.