Rhodessa Jones
San Francisco, CA

"More Than Aerobics"
Project Description
Behind the Story
Media Assets
Rhodessa's Links

Project Description
(information from www.culturalodyssey.org/medea)

In 1989, on the basis of material developed while conducting classes at the San Francisco County Jail, Rhodessa Jones created "Big Butt Girls, Hard Headed Women," a performance piece based on the lives of the incarcerated women she encountered. During the work's creation, Jones and jail officials were made aware of issues that were specific to female inmates, such as guilt, depression and self-loathing which arose in response to feelings of failure in the face of community. These issues directly contribute to alarmingly high rates of repeated incarcerations among female offenders.

Based on this observation, Jones founded "THE MEDEA PROJECT: Theatre for Incarcerated Women" to explore whether an arts-based approach could help reduce the numbers of women returning to jail. In partnership with the San Francisco Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office, THE MEDEA PROJECT has become an international model for creating social change through art.

To make contact with the Crossroads Project, email us at info@xroadsproject.org