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Inside
Out – Expressive Arts Workshops for Incarcerated
Women
Inside Out is specifically designed to consider the social
and shared personal histories of the women we serve.
This program assists participants in reflecting on
emotionally damaging issues through expressive art
forms. ArtSpring’s uniquely designed curriculum
encourages deep reflection in order to begin to understand
the personal and social issues haunting many of the
women for years and are at the root of their incarceration.
Underlying the curriculum design of Inside Out is the
belief that creativity is inherent in art-making and
art-making is inherently meaningful, therapeutic, and
educational.
Most
importantly, Inside Out seeks to provide a safe space
for women to share and explore their emotions, build
trusting relationships, find their own creative voice,
and develop
a sense of community within a highly restrictive environment.
Success in this work depends upon the establishment of
trustful, productive relationships between the artists
and students and between the student and the creative
process. Our workshops are comprised of exercises and
ideas that
expand awareness, stimulate imagination, strengthen the
capacity for feeling, and develop skills of expression.
Breaking
Free – Arts for Adolescent Girls
After
five years of working with incarcerated women and learning
some of their histories, ArtSpring became
committed to broadening our reach to address some of the
personal
childhood issues that were shared by the adult women inside.
Based on the Inside Out model, the curriculum was adapted
to specifically focus on a similar program for female youths.
Breaking Free was implemented in July 1999. Although
there are many similarities in the core issues of both
institutionalized
women and girls, the Breaking Free curriculum is specifically
designed to address some of the age specific differences
between the adolescent and the adult female population.
GreenWorks
In 2008, recognizing the relationship between individual health, community health and the health of our natural environment, ArtSpring initiated a unique arts and environmental program called GreenWorks. This interdisciplinary approach integrates hands-on landscape design, garden installation and landscape maintenance with our best-practice arts education model, thereby creating both life and job skills as well as re-entry opportunities for ex-offenders to work in the growing “green collar” field. GreenWorks provides an environmental artscape that blends science education, horticulture therapy and vocational training as a way to connect people to nature, and subsequently to themselves and their community, both inside and outside prison walls.
GreenWorks is run by James Jiler who established and ran a “jail-to-street” horticulture program on Rikers Island – New York City’s jail complex – for 11 years. He is also author of the book Doing Time in the Garden (New Villlage Press, 2006) and an advocate of community-generated jobs for the emerging “green” industry and alternative energy and building markets. Through GreenWorks, ArtSpring is working with a number of projects in and outside prison and youth detention facilities to break the cradle-to-grave cycle of incarceration and to help improve the environmental health of underserved South Florida neighborhoods.
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Odalys, Homestead
Correctional Institution, Inside Out Participant
2001
(Click on image to enlarge)
“ Inside
Out (unknown to me) came at a time when I most needed a
more positive channel to drive my unspoken wounds….
I have come to realize, one cannot change a lifetime of
misgivings all in a single day. But making a decision to
change, because it is best for one's self is the first
step to healing…. I have truly come a long way because
of this program and I still have a long way to go. But,
with every intention on continuing to dance with this very
special group of women and our leaders, I know I am on
my way to a greater healing ground.”
Sylvia, Broward
Correctional Institution, Inside Out Participant
1996
“The program consists of music, poetry, dance, beats
and rhythms. See people fail to remember that we have talents
too. In the program even if you don’t want to participate
you leave the group feeling energized and happy. I got a
lot out of this program it gave me hope and a new outlook
of art. I really think that this program helps the youth
and teaches every single person who participates something
so please keep funding this program.”
Girls Advocacy Project (GAP), Breaking
Free participant
2006
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