Tutwiler Garden Program

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Tutwiler Garden Program

The Beginning

After researching food allocation and prisons, Dr. Everhardt and Dr. Carmody created a partnership program with the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama.

Gardening in the Alabama Prison System, formerly known as the TROY-Tutwiler Garden Program, started in January 2019, it is an educational program for female incarcerated participants run by Dr. Everhardt and Dr. Carmody, along with hands-on student involvement. The program was created to teach incarcerated participants about horticulture and nutrition through 15-week Fundamentals of Gardening Classes held every Wednesday, year-round.

In addition, there is also an advanced class for those incarcerated participants that have already graduated from the fundamentals class. These classes are also held on Wednesdays.

麻豆网站列表 offers a certificate of completion for those incarcerated participants that finish these 15-week classes.

鈥淚 love learning about plants. I love to eat the food. I just ate my first blueberry in 15 years. I thank Jesus every day for 麻豆网站列表.鈥�

Garden Class Participant鈥亿鈥�2019

Student working in the TROY-Tutwiler Graden

Win-Win

This TROY-Tutwiler Garden Program is a win-win for both TROY students and incarcerated participants. During the classes, the incarcerated participants have access to healthy food and obtain skills that could help them secure employment upon release. The students involved, typically one to two at a time, are extremely hands-on in data collection, curriculum development, teaching garden and nutrition classes, gardening with incarcerated participants, promoting the program, and more.

Making a Difference

This program is a lifeline for the women at Tutwiler Prison. After they join the program, a strong commitment is made to educate and support them, a commitment that continues even after they are released. The goal is to equip these women with the tools they need to become productive members of society who never return to prison, and education is a key part of that journey.

Over 120 incarcerated participants have embarked on a transformative journey through this program since its inception, and their success stories are truly inspiring. One such story is about a participant who, after leaving Tutwiler Prison in January 2020, completed the 15-week Fundamentals of Gardening Class and earned a Certificate of Completion from TROY. She has since secured employment, a home, and a car, and is now considering further education with the encouragement of those in the program.

鈥淚t helps me with my anxiety. It gives us fresh vegetables. It helps me understand how to grow flowers from seed to big flower. It helps bring people together.鈥�

Garden Class Participant鈥亿鈥�2021

Quote from Warden Wright

鈥淭he implementation of the Gardening Program at Tutwiler has been beneficial in many aspects. The program has had a transformative effect on the women as they're able to experience the process of growth first-hand, nurturing plants from seed to harvest. I have witnessed the garden's rejuvenative power, providing our women with a sense of responsibility and pride in their work. We are very appreciative of 麻豆网站列表 and its staff for facilitating the program. My hope is that the Tutwiler Garden Program will continue to grow and expand, and allow more interested women to participate.鈥�

Quote from Warden Drake

鈥淭he Gardening Program at Tutwiler has been a breath of life for our incarcerated participants. Since COVID-19, our incarcerated participants have really taken ownership of the garden and eagerly look forward to TROY's staff and students coming to provide instruction. I have seen incarcerated participants pour themselves into the garden and their work. They've watched the results that wind, rain, and sunshine can have on the garden's overall health, and make necessary adjustments along the way to provide care to the growing plants 鈥� very similar to the personal growth adjustments they are working on in their own lives. Our incarcerated participants have a lot of pride in the garden, which is reflected in its name, 鈥淭he Garden of Perseverance.鈥�

Support the TROY-Tutwiler Garden Program

While the TROY-Tutwiler Garden Program initially received USDA support, its continued success now relies entirely on generous donations. Your contribution can directly cultivate hope and provide invaluable skills to incarcerated women. If you're inspired to make a difference, you can designate your gift to this vital program through the annual fund. Ready to help the garden grow?

Artwork of Tutwiler inmates in the Garden of Perseverance

Meet Our Team

Stephen Carmody, Ph.D.

Co-Founder and Director of GAPS

Dr. Carmody is an anthropological archaeologist whose research focuses on the prehistoric use of plants in both religious and economic contexts in the southeastern U.S. His specialization in paleoethnobotany allows him to use plant remains recovered from archaeological sites as a lens into the human-environmental dynamics of the past. His primary research interests involve exploring the cultural and social consequences of the origins of agriculture, past, present, and future. He also explores the use of plants in ritual and religious ceremonies. Stephen has worked on or led archaeological excavations in Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

Kelly Berwager, Ph.D.

Director, Inmate Art

Dr. Kelly Berwager is a Lecturer in the Art and Design Department at 麻豆网站列表. With 29 years of teaching experience, primarily with P-5 students, her expertise spans from elementary to college-level art education. Additionally, her 12 years teaching Visual Arts and Art Education courses at 麻豆网站列表 further demonstrates her depth of knowledge and commitment to developing future art educators.

Dr. Berwager is also a practicing artist whose works have been shown in local, regional, and international exhibitions. Her works range from large photorealistic acrylic paintings of confident women in luxurious clothing and elegant high heels to small collage works using vintage dress patterns, jewelry, and paper dolls. Both art media explore her pursuit of identity through the genealogy of material objects.

She joined the TROY-Tutwiler gardening program in 2021 and established an art curriculum, Inmate Art, to accompany the gardening aspects of the program. In addition to her contributions to the university's art and art education disciplines, she launched Inmate Art to partner with the gardening program, aimed at promoting sustainable gardening practices and fostering creativity through art and nature. Her work integrates art education with hands-on art projects, reflecting her commitment to both artistic development and social engagement.

Inmate Art, along with other prison art programs, offer numerous benefits, both for individual inmates and the broader correctional environment. It provides a constructive outlet for self-expression, allowing prisoners to process emotions, reflect on their experiences, and develop healthier coping mechanisms. Inmate Art also encourages critical thinking and problem-solving skills, helping the women at Tutwiler develop a sense of accomplishment and purpose.

The program has offered painting and drawing classes, along with multiple projects including printmaking, collage, embroidery stitching on photographs, Kintsgui ceramics, multi-media artworks. The women's artwork has been featured in two exhibits, including The Garden of Perseverance at 麻豆网站列表's International Arts Center in 2022 and Roots of Hope at The Kelly Fitzpatrick Center for the Arts in Wetumpka, Alabama. The artwork has also been featured at the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles Changing the Course exhibition for the past three years.

Inmate Art received a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts in 2024 to further explore art-making by visiting artists in the prison. Plans are for local artists who use wood, ceramics, colored pencils, etc., to visit the women and work with them using media they might never have the opportunity to use.

Sharon Everhardt, Ph.D.

Co-Founder and Former Director

Dr. Everhardt joined the 麻豆网站列表faculty in 2014. She teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Her main research interests include the study of race, class, and gender, especially disenfranchised populations of women. In 2020, Dr. Everhardt earned certification as an AACS Clinical Sociologist who helps organizations and institutions resolve social issues related to the human condition. She is currently researching the impact of horticultural programs on nutritional knowledge and food insecurity among female incarcerated participants in women's correctional facilities. She has secured over $75,000 in USDA funding to support her gardens projects. In 2020, she spearheaded the pursuit of a 1.9 mil Department of Education's Strengthening Institutions Title III grant to improve student achievement and retention at 麻豆网站列表. In December 2020, Dr. Hawkins awarded her with the Chancellor's Excellence Award for her grant work.

Further areas of interest include food, capital, self-sufficiency programs for low-income populations, and volunteerism. She enjoys incorporating service learning into her classes to allow students to gain real world understanding of the topics they are studying. Dr. Everhardt has been the recipient of numerous awards including the 2017 Teacher of the Year for Troy-Montgomery and the 2015 and the 2018 Troy-Montgomery Faculty Excellence Award.

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