The newsletter for arts organisations working in criminal justice.
In this month's issue...
- National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance news
- Events and training
- Arts and criminal justice news and publications
- Resources and opportunities
We’re recruiting for a Chair
Could you be the next Chair of the NCJAA [voluntary, online/London, part time] and play a leading role in promoting arts in criminal justice? We’re looking for an enthusiastic and experienced leader with a track record of achieving positive change, developing strategies, and achieving effective collaboration across agencies. The Chair of the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance will be passionate about the role the arts can play in the criminal justice system and the transformative power of the arts as a springboard for positive change. We are particularly interested in hearing from racially minoritised people and people with lived experience of the criminal justice system. Find out more about this role and express your interest here
Prison security clearance lapses: are you affected?
If you have not been into a prison in the last 12 months and are planning to do so soon, be sure to check whether your security clearance is still valid, as you may need to reapply. If you're facing this issue, we’d like your help to understand this better and find out who is being affected. You can get in touch and share your experience with us through info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk
Want to include something in the next newsletter?
We will be sending our next newsletter on Thursday 28th October. Please email info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk with any news, research, events, opportunities or blog proposals by Tuesday 19th October.
Reading in Prison Day 2021
1st October | online | free
Prison Reading Groups and Give a Book are hosting their ‘Reading in Prison Day’, with the theme ‘Reading Lessons: Lockdown and Beyond’. The day will offer a chance to hear from speakers from a variety of backgrounds, discuss and share experiences, and explore ideas around reading in prisons. Speakers include Ralph Lubkowski, Governor, HMP Hewell and Gabriel Krauze, author of Who They Was. There are limited spaces remaining - find out more and register here
Networking for creatives with lived experience
Weekly on Wednesdays | online | free
The No Bars project by Drum and Brass CIC is inviting creatives with experience of the criminal justice system to join them online for creative writing, chat and networking. The online sessions are limited to a small number of participants and are open to people with experience of the criminal justice system, in whatever capacity, and practicing artists. Participants will have the chance to meet others, network and create in a positive environment. The No Bars project was set up to share the voices of artists with lived experience of the criminal justice system. Register here
Koestler Arts annual exhibition
29th October – 5th December | London | free
This year’s Koestler Arts UK exhibition is back in Level 1 of Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. Curated by artist Camille Walala and her sister, curator Sarah Ihler-Meyer, ‘The I and the We’ will showcase 200 pieces of art, music and writing from the 2021 Koestler Awards. Expect quirky artworks made of found materials, works full of humour and joy, as well as pieces reflecting on loss, relationships and prison life, all created during the pandemic. The exhibition will be presented to the public by ex-prisoner exhibition hosts who will lead tours and answer questions about the artwork and criminal justice system. Read more
Training: arts for restorative justice and mental health
Any time | online | free
The RJ4All International Institute and the Mental Health Matters partnership are offering a CPD certified e-course that aims to train artists and professionals working in the cultural sector on how to use the transformative power of restorative justice art in the lives of people with mental health issues. Through the course, participants will explore the theory behind restorative justice and the role of art within it, the use of art to support people with mental health issues in their personal and emotional development, and the potential for art to be used to support a redistribution of power and responsibilities between people with mental health issues, professionals and caregivers involved in their recovery process, and the general community. Access the course here
Voices from prison: e-book and short film
Theatre company Clean Break has published a selection of creative writing pieces from women in prison during Covid-19. Selected from submissions by women in prisons across England and Wales, the pieces reflect on prison life during a pandemic, women’s voices and hope. A number of the pieces have been made into a short film, performed by Clean Break Members and featuring archival material of Holloway Prison. Read the e-book and watch the film here
Exploring new music genres on YouTube and prison TV
The Irene Taylor Trust’s ‘Playlists’ project is now a TV show broadcast in prisons via Way Out TV and available to the public on YouTube. The project was originally devised during the first UK lockdown as a way to keep prisoners engaged with music through CDs and worksheets teaching about genres they might not be familiar with. The video series explores rock, hip hop, blues, classical, world, funk, reggae, house and grime, and features new music from musicians from Irene Taylor Trust’s Sounding Out project, as well as interviews with former prisoner artists and music experts. Episodes are released every Sunday at 7pm on YouTube. Watch the series here
Former prisoner artist speaks to InsideTime
Critically acclaimed artist Jack Murton speaks to prison magazine InsideTime about how discovering art in prison led to a successful painting career. Murton was inspired to paint by a fellow prisoner, a friend of Lucian Freud; his colourful paintings often depict prison life or life on the streets. He credits art with helping him stay away from crime after leaving prison, and he has recently had a solo exhibition in an east London gallery. Read the interview here
Explore artwork from youth justice settings
A project by Tate Liverpool and Novus in collaboration with youth justice education providers invited children from youth justice sites across England and Wales to create art inspired by the works of British contemporary artist Bob and Roberta Smith. The project, themed around the word ‘family’, used art as a space to support children to maintain and build family relationships, engage in education and learn new skills and experiences. Read more and view a digital gallery of the artworks created here
Jerwood 1:1 Fund for creative collaborations
Apply by 4th October
A new fund is offering awards of £2,000 to support 35 pairings of independent early-career artists, curators and producers from across disciplines to connect, develop their practice and generate new ideas. The 1:1 Fund offers awards for practitioners working in literature, music, performing, visual and contemporary arts to strengthen existing or start new collaborations after the isolating impact of Covid-19. The fund is also piloting a new selection process using random selection to reduce bias and make the process more accessible for applicants. Find out more and apply here
Centre for Cultural Value Collaborate Fund
Apply between 18th October and 24th November
Collaborate is the Centre for Cultural Value’s new fund to support the development of collaborative research projects between the cultural sector and academic researchers. Two rounds of funding in autumn 2021 and autumn 2022 will support around 15 projects and funding awards will range from £5k to £20k. Successful projects should contribute to deeper understanding of the difference that arts, culture, heritage and screen makes to people’s lives, and the range of research methodologies used to explore cultural value. Cultural sector applicants are invited to submit an expression of interest between 18th October and 24th November. Academic researchers will then be invited to submit an expression of interest in December in response to the selected cultural sector proposals. Find out more and apply here
Local Action Fund matching donations
Apply by 22nd October
Crowdfunder and the National Emergencies Trust have teamed up to make more than £1.2m match funding available to help voluntary and community organisations in the UK overcome the effects of the pandemic. This opportunity aims to support long-term sustainability and open up new avenues of income for local groups who are making a real difference to the people in their communities. Successful applicants will each run a campaign to raise money on Crowdfunder. The National Emergencies Trust will match any donations pound for pound, up to a total of £10,000, using funds from its Coronavirus Appeal. Find out more and apply here
To search for more funding opportunities, check the Clinks funding portal here (only available for Clinks members).
Take a creative break: draw what freedom means to you with Koestler Arts’ September Art Aid pack
Want to include your organisation’s opportunity in the next newsletter?
If you’d like us to feature your job or volunteer post in our newsletter, please get in touch with us on info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk and post your vacancy to the Clinks jobs board here. We are only able to share vacancies posted to the Clinks jobs board.
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This newsletter is written monthly. Email info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk if you wish to submit any news.
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