Provided courtesy of Lorenzo Steele
Provided courtesy of Lorenzo Steele
Provided courtesy of Lorenzo Steele
Provided courtesy of Lorenzo Steele
Provided courtesy of Lorenzo Steele
Provided courtesy of Lorenzo Steele
Provided courtesy of Lorenzo Steele
Provided courtesy of Lorenzo Steele
WADESBORO — Lorenzo Steele Jr.’s nondescript mobile work of art and criminal justice memorabilia museum sat parked in the lot at Harvest Ministries back-to-school bash on August 17.
From the outside, Steele’s re-imagined flat gray prison bus appears fairly innocuous. Once inside, spectators tour the historical exhibits, each displaying a product of Steele’s own hands and experiences within the United States Criminal Justice System.
An artist and photographer, Steele likes the idea of using a retired prison bus to visually emphasize the dangers of glorifying a prison lifestyle. Once used to transport prisoners, Steele’s bus now transports their stories.
Working as a NY city corrections officer from 1987-1999, Steele found himself losing interest in the job. Hearing God speak to him, Steele felt led to join the NY public school system. There, he saw first hand how failed students often become criminals. A student himself during the Queens crack epidemic, Steele observed his high school friends dividing into professions in law enforcement or headed off to life in jail following graduation. Knowing he wanted to make a change, and desiring of being near his family in Anson County, Steele took his dream to North Carolina.
Shortly after moving to the area, Steele set to work on remodeling a prison bus. Creating a non-profit mobile museum, Behind These Prison Walls, he now travels to various events and schools across the state, trying to reach America’s youth before they graduate from the safety net our nation’s schools typically provide for students. Traveling to colleges, universities, churches and communities, Steele is willing to go wherever folks will have him, even setting his artwork up outside the bus on easels for large crowds.
Newly appointed to the NAACP Criminal Justice Chairman position, Steele’s mission is to use art to change habits and behaviors that can lead to incarceration.
“We focus on substance abuse, gun violence, gang activity, which all have similar consequences, incarceration,” Steele said.
Steele encourages anyone interested in reaching out to his non-profit organization, Behind These Prison Walls, to schedule an exhibition of the prison art museum or for more information to visit his website, http://www.behindtheseprisonwall s.webs.com/