Paños are pen or pencil drawings on fabric, a form of prison artwork made in the

Southwest United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...

created primarily by '' pintos'', or

Chicano Chicano (masculine form) or Chicana (feminine form) is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans that emerged from the Chicano Movement. In the 1960s, ''Chicano'' was widely reclaimed among Hispanics in the building of a movement toward politic ...

s who are or have been

incarcerated Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered "false imprisonment". Impris ...

. The first paños, made with pieces of bedsheets and pillowcases, were made in the 1930s. They were originally used to communicate messages. Since then, they became used for primarily artistic purposes, and are often made with handkerchiefs. Prisoners sometimes use ''paños'' to get favors.Hoinski, Michael. "How Prison Art From Texas Captured the Art World's Attention." ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...

''. Thursday February 13, 2014
1
Retrieved on March 3, 2014. Themes made with the artwork include Catholic faith symbols, Chicano political movement imagery, and prison imagery. Prisoners often mail their artwork to their families."." ''Sinuous Magazine''. January 2, 2013. Retrieved on March 3, 2014. Families who receive the art put them in a box or binder as a keepsake instead of framing them. In the 1990s

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

Ann Richards Dorothy Ann Richards (née Willis; September 1, 1933 – September 13, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995. A Democrat, she first came to national attention as the Texas State Treasurer, ...

created enrichment programs for prisons. Michael Hoinski of the ''

'' stated that they "had helped spawn a golden age of paño-making in Texas."Hoinski, Michael. "How Prison Art From Texas Captured the Art World's Attention." ''

''. Thursday February 13, 2014
2
Retrieved on March 3, 2014. The programs were ended during the terms of governors

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

and

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 in the first administration of Donald Trump. He previously served as the 47th governor of Texas fr ...

, and ''paños'' are now prohibited in the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...

References

External links

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Paño: Art from the Inside Out
"

Museum of International Folk Art The Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It is one of many cultural institutions operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. History The museum was founded by Flor ...

*
Reno Leplat-Torti´collection: PAÑOS - CHICANO PRISON ART
" MOHS exhibit,

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. *
Paños, Chicano Prison Art / Reno Leplat-Torti’s collection Press kit

Archive
. Reno Leplat-Torti Collection,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. September 2023.
"Boobs, Skulls, and Mickey Mouse: The Art of Hardened Mexican Prisoners"
Vice Magazine February 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pano Imprisonment and detention Mexican-American culture in Texas