Television to profile art in prison
27 January 2010 Visiting prisons to film an episode about art as a rehabilitative tool for television’s The Gravy arts programme was a life-changing experience for director Rob Appierdo. The episode will screen on TVNZ7 on Saturday 13 February in Sticky Pictures’ new television series of The Gravy.
“I’d never been inside a prison and I’d never met a prisoner,” Rob says. “To be honest, I was really scared on that first visit. But I was very moved by the experience and what I learned. For some people, life is so hard and I heard some sad stories.”
When Rob visited the Māori Focus Unit at Rimutaka Prison, he said art tutor Paul Bradley was reassuring. “He said, ‘You know, most of these guys are here because they’ve done one wrong thing in their lives and now they’re paying the consequence’. That provided me with a way of looking at them.
“I know that what they’ve done is not okay and I really feel for the victims. But these people are human beings and one day, most of them will be coming out. There’s a percentage who can change and as a society, we need to engage with them.”
Presented by Warren Maxwell (from the band The Little Bushman), the episode features Mark Lynds, Programmes Manager at Auckland Prison and Northern Region Corrections Facility; prison art tutors Paul Bradley and Robyn Hughes; and ex-offender artists Brian Slight and Jason Menzies.
Reconnecting with the community
Its overall theme is that art can be a powerful tool in rehabilitating prisoners, helping them reconnect with the community when they’re released and, in some cases, providing a career path.
Art tutor Paul Bradley says the issues surrounding punishment and rehabilitation are complex. “But at some point these guys come out of prison and they might be your neighbour. What I don’t want to see is people coming out more angry and more bitter than when they first went in.”
For art tutor Robyn Hughes, art gives prisoners “the opportunity to use their time in a positive way, give back to the community and develop a skill base that might open doors when they are released”.
Rob Appierdo says one of the roles of an arts programme in prison is to provide a bridge between prison and the outside world.
“There is some amazing talent inside but the guy who made the biggest impression on me was a master carver in Auckland Prison. He’s been in prison for eight years and is teaching others to carve.
“Mark Lynds sees their talent and is committed to fostering it so that the men can earn a living when they get out. There are some dedicated people in Corrections, convinced of the power of art to generate change. But they also talk about art as a privilege for the prisoners to be able to do. It’s no holiday camp, that’s for sure.”
Following the creative process
Brian Slight, who served a nine-and-a-half year prison sentence for his addiction to illegal substances, painted more than 600 works while he was inside. “Prison saved my life. It was a place to heal because I had gone through so much trauma and loss. When I came out of the system, I had a plan – and that was to follow the creative process.”
Ex-offender Jason Menzies was part of the Auckland Hospital project, which Robyn Hughes helped make happen. Prisoners made and then donated more than 40 artworks to the hospital as a way of giving back to the community.
Rob says he likes a sign he’s seen on a Wellington building. “If prison works, there wouldn’t be any prisons”. He describes the film as a “drop in the ocean” but hopes it will give insights into what it means to be creative in prison and what creativity can do to empower people and change lives.
For Moana Tipa, prison arts advisor for Arts Access Aotearoa, the role of the arts in our lives is to question and shift thinking. “For a good number of prisoners, their earnest hope is to do things differently and lead a better life. I would say, ‘What can we all do to foster change’?”