Inmates from prisons throughout Australia are participating in a unique program that allows them to show off their artistic talents to those outside the prison walls.
Art from Inside, a program run by Prison Fellowship Australia for over 10 years, provides inmates with an outlet for artistic expression, and a way to work through the issues that have led them to prison. Those viewing the paintings are given a unique insight into the lives of the participants, and what motivates them during their sentences.
”I tend to notice, a lot of the works are around regeneration, renewal,” says Mark Bartlet, senior manager of offender services and corrections programs at the Alexander Maconochie Centre in the Australian Capital Territory. “[T]here’s opportunity, the sunrise, there’s the light on the horizon, there’s the opportunity to turn your life around.”
The works of art are being displayed throughout Australia. In July, the paintings were featured at a conference on reentry in the capital city of Canberra.
”The same hands that can be so creative, can be so destructive,” says Prison Fellowship Australia executive director Richard Feeney. ”I just shake my head sometimes … there is something in them, it’s not all bad, it’s not all destructive.”
Around the world, Prison Fellowship seeks to nurture that “something,” to introduce inmates to a God who can take those skills and passions and use them for His purposes. To find out how you can be a part of this ministry and make a difference in the life of a prisoner, visit our get involved pages.