Michael Lenahan interviewed by Marc Rosemond
Mark Rosemond (00:03): Uh, good evening. My name is Mark Rosemond, 93 in 1985, and we are at Shawagunk Correctional Facility, and I'm about to have an oral history interview with, uh, please introduce yourself.
Michael Lenehan (00:17): Uh, Mr. Michael, uh Lenehan, 1085146 Central booking numbers, but we're not defined by our numbers.
Mark Rosemond (00:30): (laughs) So, Mr. Lenehan, um ...
Michael Lenehan (00:31): I might like to say, before you start, it is a pleasure that you are interviewing me right now. I find this a, uh, a bit of an honor-
Mark Rosemond (00:40): I, I, I appreciate that very much.
Michael Lenehan (00:47): Love and respect.
Mark Rosemond (00:47): Say it again.
Michael Lenehan (00:47): Love and respect.
Mark Rosemond (00:48): Love and respect. So today is, um, 7/13/23, and my first question to you is why did you enroll in this art program?
Michael Lenehan (01:00): I enrolled in this art program because, uh, it is essential to have the outlets in a facility such as this, where the prison population is small. There are not many programs going on, and um, this is long overdue. The last time there were art programs or anything related, art-related, was back in 2019, we were part of the college program here. But this, by itself, is an entity ... This itself is a separate entity, and I think it's, um, beneficial because it's inclusive for, uh, the majority of the prisoners, uh, the inmates in this, uh, facility. It's, it's open to all of them, as opposed to an exclusive crowd, so to speak.
Mark Rosemond (01:43): Mm.
Michael Lenehan (01:44): Nothing to take away from the college program, though. Um, yeah.
Mark Rosemond (01:49): So, did your reasons change since ...
Michael Lenehan (01:52): Actu- Uh, no. Um, I needed to s- stimulate my creative juices that I thought was once lost. You know? Um, yeah. We forget things that we've once learned in this, in this, uh, unnatural environment.
Mark Rosemond (02:06): Mm. Sure.
Michael Lenehan (02:09): Don't you, would you agree with that?
Mark Rosemond (02:09): Yes I do.
Michael Lenehan (02:09): Absolutely.
Mark Rosemond (02:12): What was something you hoped to learn, though? As far as art goes.
Michael Lenehan (02:16): Hmm. To look at things from a ... with patience, tolerance.
Mark Rosemond (02:24): Nice.
Michael Lenehan (02:25): Patience and tolerance. Um, to find a ... some tranquility in the art work, um, whatever project it may be-
Mark Rosemond (02:39): Nice.
Michael Lenehan (02:40): ... whatever we're allowed to do. To, to learn something new. But in that process, to discover what I thought was, or what I felt was lost before I came to prison. Yeah.
Mark Rosemond (02:58): Did you find it?
Michael Lenehan (03:00): Um, there is that YouTube song, uh, that I think of ... "But I still haven' found what I'm looking for."
Mark Rosemond (03:09): Mm-hmm.
Michael Lenehan (03:09): So it's a, it's an ongoing process-
Mark Rosemond (03:10): Beautiful song, by the way. Nice. Beautiful song. Yes, yes.
Michael Lenehan (03:16): ... ongoing process, um, but, uh, little by little, it, I'm chipping away at my defenses, and I think this is a, this is truly a blessing.
Mark Rosemond (03:27): So-
Michael Lenehan (03:28): This program.
Mark Rosemond (03:28): What surprises you about the program?
Michael Lenehan (03:29): Uh, the ... Everything.
Mark Rosemond (03:29): Mm-hmm.
Michael Lenehan (03:29): Um, the material. The, uh, facilitator, Maggie, she's wonderful, she's fantastic. Her energy, she's authentic in how she treats people. Um, the material that is supplied here, from the paints to the brushes, to whatever, um, projects come in. Paper quilling. Um, it's unique. It's, um, something that, uh, really gives us a different, a fresh, uh, perspective on certain art techniques that we may never know about. We never to the [inaudible 00:04:11].
Mark Rosemond (04:12): So my next question was going to be, how did your experience in this class compare to what you expected?
Michael Lenehan (04:21): It, it, it ... Without, um, any hesitation, it overcame, it exceeded, my expectations.
Mark Rosemond (04:31): Mm-hmm.
Michael Lenehan (04:31): Um, there's also, has to be this innate desire from the individual, when he comes in here, the inmate, to be open-minded, to you know, not to be, uh ... To look at things from a wide spectrum, as opposed to a narrow lens. And I think that this has, uh, allowed me to do that. And um, and I feel like this is a good area to ... This is a wonderful community that is, that is being, um, built here, and I hope it is, is something that stays here.
Mark Rosemond (05:07): So, it was a pleasure interviewing you, and you gave me, you've given me a lot to think about, Mr. Lenehan. But now, tell me, what and how would you define an artist? What and how would you define an artist? Like, what definition do you have for an artist? And, and how would you come about calling somebody an artist? What, what makes it, in your mind, an artist an artist?
Michael Lenehan (05:41): Um, one who feels deeply and, and then sees, views the world and sees the world around them from their own unique perspective. They are, uh, a conduit almost, a tool, an instrument. And whatever they put forth, whatever emanates from them, whether it's poetry, the spoken word, whether it's theater, whether it's music, whether it's sculpting, um, art, fine art, that is their interpretation of how, and what they see, within in this limited spectrum.
Mark Rosemond (06:24): (laughs)
Michael Lenehan (06:25): Because we do not see everything. We ... There are things that we, that have, in our human periphery, that we don't see. You know, the, in, in, um, whether it be UV rays, infra-red, we don't see everything. And sometimes, on those rare occasions, we might just see something, and this is what we, flows through us. We're, uh, we're pretty much a conduit. We're the go-between. We're the sieve. Where, you know, filter out, you know. So, that's who an artist is.
(06:53):
And that can be a double-edged sword at times, because we feel, we see, and we think deeply. And um, but it is ultimately the greatest gift we can have. To be in a community centered, to be among individuals around us that have shared that same thing, you know, or had that untapped potential, um, within them. It's essential to, to have within a, in a, in a correctional facility, in a prison pod. It's unnatural.
Mark Rosemond (07:26): Mm-hmm.
Michael Lenehan (07:26): And we now, so here again here, we're performatives. We need some produce, reproducing. We need it, it's essential. And, um, I hope it continues. Yeah.
Mark Rosemond (07:42): Well, Mr. Lenehan, it was an absolute pleasure to hear your thoughts about art.
Michael Lenehan (07:46): Likewise, thank you.
Mark Rosemond (07:48): Because I love art myself, and I agree with mostly everything you said. And the things that I didn't know that you shared with me, I feel like I've learned a lot, as if, like, I took the class myself. So, you have a beautiful night. Ladies and gentlemen, again, Michael Lenehan.
Michael Lenehan (08:05): Thank you very much.
Mark Rosemond (08:06): And good night to you.
Michael Lenehan (08:07): Thank you.