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Working in concert with the Village of Palmetto Bay, ArtSouth will host the first ever exhibition of artwork done by the incarcerated artists from Everglades Correctional Institute Prison’s Art Dorm. The event will take place on Saturday, Jan. 21, at Perrine Community House.
Those who attend will be the first to view work created by a select group of 60 artists living and working together in a communal art dorm at Everglades Correctional Institute. It’s part of a groundbreaking prison-bound visual arts program that presents the beneficial evidence of healthy forms of self-expression during incarceration.
“I volunteer there,” said Janis Klein-Cohen, ArtSouth Board chair. “I teach a class in the evening, every other week. I teach about 50 incarcerated men inside the prison. ArtSouth began an art ed program in the prison about five years ago.”
She says that the men enjoy the chance to do creative art work.
“We have an overage of inmates waiting to get into the class. What’s so interesting about what eventually occurred is that the class was so popular and teaching art at the prison became so popular that the warden decided to turn one of the dorms into a full art dorm — a 62-man cell art dorm, probably the only one of its kind.”
Klein-Cohen said that the men are allowed to work on any kind of art project in that dorm.
“It just opened up about two months ago. It’s two stories high, and a two-man cell dormitory. They have a bay area inside where they have easels set up and tables set up, with art supplies available, and they’re permitted to do art whenever time allows,’ Klein-Cohen said.
“They’re not just restricted to my class every other week, they can take whatever they’ve learned inside the classroom and apply it inside their dormitory. It’s a wonderful release for the inmates. It gives them an opportunity to be creative and to produce some fine work. Incredible work.”
She said that art is very therapeutic in itself. It’s transformative, emotionally and behaviorally.
“This is an incentivized prison,” Klein-Cohen said. “The inmates are all men who did not have any kind of disciplinary report, and cannot have any disciplinary issues to stay in that prison. They have TV and better food and other perks.”
She said that ArtSouth wanted to showcase their art work outside the prison and that the men were excited about that, so that the public could see what they’re producing.
“They’re absolutely thrilled. Their work is incredibly profound. The body of work that’s going to be shown is amazing.”
Prior to this program, she had taught youth offenders for 37 years, so it was natural to continue with an older group that is more open to learning. She said that when they are creating art they go into a “zone” that is also calming and stabilizing.
“When you think about it, it makes all the sense in the world because some of them will be out. Not all…some of them are in for life and will never see beyond the walls of a prison.
But they know that this is a state of mind that they can access, whether they’re inside or outside those walls, they can access that peace. It’s terrific for society; it’s terrific for the department of corrections; it’s terrific for the prison, because what it is doing is creating a different emotional atmosphere.”
She said that she hopes they will be able to continue the program. ArtSouth also provides the children of incarcerated parents with art supplies and classes.
Klein-Cohen said she appreciates the help they receive from the village.
“We are so grateful to Mayor [Karyn] Cunningham for supporting us in our program.”
The art reception for the exhibition will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and there will be live music. Perrine Community House is located at 900 Perrine Ave. in Palmetto Bay.
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