Exhibition and competition showcases prisoners’ art
TORONTO, ON - Prisoner-made artwork from around the world is coming to Canada this June for an international exhibition and art competition.
The Prisoner Art Exhibition will be held as part of the World Convocation for Prison Fellowship International. Dozens of pieces of artwork will be on display including painting, carvings, sketches and sculpture.
"They are the voices of the people who can't come to a conference like this because they are locked up behind bars," says Ron Nikkel, president of Prison Fellowship International.
He says the art competition also encourages prison groups around the world to encourage creative expression among prisoners and to take it seriously.
"There is often a lot of hidden creativity there that doesn't get a chance to get out," he adds. "We've had prison artists in the past who've never done a lick of art before they've come to prison, and then discovered they have incredible talent. We've had some over the years that's quite exceptional."
The convocation, from June 28 to July 2, brings together Prison Fellowship representatives and others in corrections work from more than 130 countries around the world�"including chaplains, politicians, volunteers and prison officials. A number of criminal justice officials will be coming as well, including 14 heads of correctional systems from countries like Madagascar and Bulgaria.
"Increasingly we've been finding prison officials are looking at what we're doing, because they're seeing how not just individual lives are being transformed, but the prison community itself," says Nikkel.
For example, along with awarding prizes to the top artwork from the competition, Prison Fellowship International also awards financial prizes for the national organizations that have sponsored the winning artists.
"So it's a way of encouraging the wider ministry as well," says Nikkel. "Part of what we're trying to do is get people out of a box in understanding what prison ministry is, and in ways of engaging with prisoners."
Toronto has hosted the global event twice before, which has also been held Kenya, Northern Ireland, Korea, Costa Rica and Bulgaria. Its goal is to give those working in prison ministries opportunities for much needed encouragement and support.
"Most people who are involved in prison work around the world are very lonely," says Nikkel. "They don't have access to the kind of resources and support systems we take for granted in North America and Europe."
He adds that in many church cultures prison work is seen as less glamorous than other types of ministry.
"They don't tend to get a lot of support from the church," says Nikkel, "or people in other ministries they might consider as colleagues. They may be perceived as working in prisons because they couldn't make it as a parish priest. They tend to be on the margins.
"So the World Convocation for Prison Fellowship International provides a place where they can belong, come together, and be affirmed. It's not focused on what you ought to be doing differently or better, rather on motivating each other, sharing stories and being together. It's about discovering you have colleagues from all around the world who share the same struggles and challenges."
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