The opening reception for “New Work from Connecticut Prisons,” the Annual Show of Connecticut's Prison Arts Program, will take place on Thursday, May 4 from 5:00-8:00 pm. The exhibit, a collaboration between The Institute for Community Research (ICR) and Community Partners in Action (CPA), will showcase over 125 pieces of work created by inmate artists from Connecticut’s 18 correctional facilities. At the opening event, ICR Founding Director Jean J. Schensul, Ph.D., will talk about the relationship between creativity and questioning.  “Research and the arts are both ways for people to reflect on and change their environments,” says Dr. Schensul. “The work of inmate artists helps all of us to gain new perspectives on their lives, the forces that shape them, and the circumstances in which they live." The exhibit runs from April 24 to June 2, 2006. The opening reception and a related event series accompanying the exhibit are also free and open to the public, and will take place at The Jean J. Schensul Community Gallery at The Institute for Community Research (ICR), 2 Hartford Square West, Suite 100 (corner of Wyllys St. & Columbus Blvd.).  

Throughout the year, the Prison Arts Program’s volunteer and professional artists teach both specific and general artistic skills to inmates. The Annual Show of new work has presented inmate art to the general public since the early 1990s. “It is a way of bringing the private world of the artist inmate into the public sphere,” says Program Manager Rebecca Boyden. “We emphasize the value of creative expression as a tool for personal change.” 

Complementing the exhibit is an event series examining life in and after prison and exploring creative arts programs in Connecticut’s prisons. On Thursday, May 18 (3:00-5:00 pm), ICR will host a panel discussion exploring conditions in Connecticut prisons as well as the challenges and opportunities ex-offenders encounter when they return to their communities. “We find that increasing rates of incarceration are devastating urban communities that are already dealing with addiction, poverty, mental health and other complex problems,” says Margaret Weeks, Ph.D., ICR’s Executive Director. The panel discussion will touch on individuals’ experiences during and after prison; available healthcare and HIV/AIDS treatment; job training and other reentry programming; research on incarcerated youth, public housing, and drug use in Hartford; and advocacy efforts to reform Connecticut’s criminal justice system. At a gallery talk on Thursday, May 25 (5:00-8:00 pm), visitors will experience a performance by Voices of Joy, a gospel choir of female inmates from York Correctional Institution. Instructor Jeffrey Greene and former participant Robert Garabedian will lead a gallery tour and discuss how the Prison Arts Program works with inmates to improve their self-understanding and self-expression. Says Dr. Weeks, “Opportunities for artistic expression offer prisoners and releasees hope, an avenue to communicate their experiences, and a chance to contribute in creative ways to the outside community.”

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Community Partners in Action is a non-profit agency building community by providing services that promote accountability, dignity, and restoration for people affected by the Criminal Justice System.  The Institute for Community Research is an independent, nonprofit organization that conducts applied research and community enhancement programs to promote equal access to health, education, and cultural resources.