Art created by offenders from sixteen prisons across England - including Woodhill in Milton Keynes is going on show at Worcester Cathedral starting today (25 October).
The work has been produced by students in prisons taking courses provided by Milton Keynes College, one of the country’s leading and most experienced prison education providers.
The exhibition is called Hearten, which means to “inspire with confidence.”
Milton Keynes College provides a range of educational courses across the country for Her Majesty’s prisons. This year the Long Term High Security Estate (LTHSE) and prisons in the South Central area are working together to showcase and exhibit the talent and creative artwork being developed in custodial settings.
Its main scope is to inform the audience, and local communities, about some of the more positive aspects of educating serving offenders in Art and Design and to demonstrate the benefits and huge impact Art has on supporting a wide range of mental health issues.
Never miss news or leisure info in Milton Keynes - Follow us on twitter here
And on Facebook here
The fascinating ideas, designs and work being produced with a variety of traditional and innovative materials demonstrates the positive impact these kinds of workshops and qualifications, are having on individuals. It is also an opportunity for our learners to express themselves in a healthy way, build confidence and develop better communication skills.
Karen Simmonds, Director LTHSE South, Milton Keynes College said: “Many of the College’s art teachers are professional artists themselves and say they are passionate about supporting and encouraging the use of creative skills within these environments as it allows learners to find purpose, coping strategies and a healthy way of expressing themselves.
It will be good for local communities and those further afield to see how art is being used to help rehabilitate prisoners and how it provides them with a variety of important life skills needed upon release. With that in mind, by hosting an exhibition of this scale, it will give our learners a platform to achieve something that can be appreciated by all who visit.”
Canon Georgina Byrne from the Cathedral added: “The creative spirit touches all of us, whatever our circumstances, and art has the power to transform lives. Most of us rarely have opportunity to consider the lives of people in our country’s prisons. This exhibition allows the artists to speak to us and engage with us, and to share something of who they are at a deeper level.”
Contributions have been received from the following prisons:
HMP Belmarsh
HMP Bullingdon
HMP Erlestoke
HMP Full Sutton
HMP Garth
HMP Gartree
HMP Huntercombe
HMP Isle of Wight – Parkhurst and Albany
HMP Long Lartin
HMP Manchester
HMP Swaleside
HMP Wakefield
HMP Whitemoor
HMP Winchester
HMP Woodhill
The exhibition continues until November 7.
