Man once on death row supports class at USF, ahead of theatrical premiere based on his writing, life

Incarcerated man serves as guest speaker at USF class

Bill Clark previously spent time as a guest speaker at Stanford, and now a tour of work based on his life and writing is set to premiere in San Francisco next month. KTVU's Tori Gaines reports from San Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO - An incarcerated man who was on death row for more than three decades is now investing his time in the education of others at the University of San Francisco.

Through sometimes garbled technology that allows him to connect with those outside the confinement of his prison cell, Bill Clark leads discussions in USF professor Amie Dowling’s "Art and Incarceration" course.

Clark began his journey in education after decades behind bars at San Quentin

The backstory:

Clark, currently incarcerated at California Medical Facility, Vacaville, is an artist with a vision. He hopes to live a life of meaning, and as an artist, he hopes to share that meaning with others.

Inside the classroom, every Tuesday and Thursday, Clark joins Dowling and her students to discuss the impacts of mass incarceration across the United States, including Clark's firsthand experience.

Clark isn’t the only incarcerated person working with Dowling’s students. Eight incarcerated women and scholars are also lending their research and voices to the class’s work.

The group will create a set of podcasts with their incarcerated counterparts, each sharing personal stories and how incarceration has shaped their lives.

Though glitches in the 15-minute video calls and a visible countdown timer can make the process cumbersome, the group holds space together for the moment they can reconnect.

Gulal Singh is paired up with Clark on a podcast. As he spoke to Clark via video chat, the signal suddenly dropped.

"With Bill, his presence is so commendable. I mean, he'll listen even if the call goes off, he'll come back and there'll be this continuation…It's very hard to keep that same vibe or energy and same presence, but he has that presence and that energy," Singh shared.

"These systems, the technology that just is so bad, and the way in which Bill remains so open and available and present with us," said Dowling.

Clark started his journey as an educator while behind bars at San Quentin. That's where Clark met artist and educator Alex Ketley, who was a guest lecturer at the time.

An unlikely friendship

Dig deeper:

Ketley and Clark became pen pals during the pandemic. That's when Ketley became concerned about the state of incarcerated folks amidst the challenges that came along with COVID-19.

After building a friendship, Ketley then asked Clark to serve as a guest speaker for his class at Stanford. Now the two are not just friends, but also artistic collaborators.

"I think we really connected. We both have a deep love of creating artwork, but also artwork that is based on finding expressions of humanity," Ketley said.

Ketley is currently in rehearsals for a dance and theatrical work titled "An Approximation of Resilience", based on Clark's life and writing. The show received funding from the National Dance Project Grant via the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, with funding from the Doris Duke Foundation and The Mellon Foundation.

The show will premiere in San Francisco on March 22.

"I feel, in many ways, I’m just a catalyst for his brilliance; so much of prison is about shutting people down and hiding people away," Ketley told KTVU.

Clark hopes to bring his DanceAcution class to his Vacaville prison next year. As he dreams of freedom, he also dreams of his work having an impact that outlives him.

"I hope your story bears fruit not just for me, but for any incarcerated soul who is trying to demonstrate to prison officials, judges and society at large his or her desire to become a productive member of society," Clark said.

The Source: Interviews with Bill Clark, Alex Ketley, Professor Amie Dowling and students at USF

Featured