Prison Artists Helping Families

Thursday 5 April 2007

Prison Artists Helping High-Risk Canterbury Families

A collection of 140 high-quality art works with a different story will soon go under the auctioneer’s hammer on the outskirts of Christchurch. The drawings, paintings, sculptures and carvings have been produced over the past six months by 80 inmates at the three Canterbury prisons and will be auctioned in the gymnasium of Christchurch Men’s Prison on 4 May. South Island Regional Manager for Public Prisons Service, Paul Monk, says the exhibition called Ruia highlights how important art is in prisons.

“It can play an important part in helping prisoners express themselves and confront some of the reasons they committed crimes,” he says. “Events like the auction provide a focus for their talents and encourage them to develop their skills in a way which has a positive impact on the community.”

Project Manager Katey Gibling agrees. “We run art programmes in the prisons, but the resulting artworks are usually kept by the prisoners or given to their families,” she says.

“They often don’t realise how good the work is, but Ruia will give them the opportunity to hear, through us, what people said about their work, to know people paid money for their work, and maybe even to hear about a bidding war over their piece.” Prison managers feel so strongly about this opportunity for the prisoners to get positive feedback about their work, they are considering allowing five or six prison artists to attend the auction.

Money raised at the auction will be given to the Family Help Trust, which works with the infants and children of high-risk Canterbury families.

Trust Director Libby Robins says many of these families have criminal offending in their backgrounds, so this project is a natural synergy between Canterbury prisons and the trust.

“The auction offers the prisoners an opportunity to have their work recognised and for them to contribute to this organisation, which supports families and helps offenders stop offending,” she says.

“This is a unique event in a unique environment, but also an opportunity to buy high-quality art work and support at-risk families.” Art for auction at Ruia is on display on the Family Help Trust’s website – www.familyhelptrust.org.nz Tickets to the auction are available through the Family Help Trust. Intending buyers must supply ID and go through a security check to get their ticket. On arrival at the prison on May 4, they will be subject to routine prison procedure and scrutiny.

ENDS

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