Tynwald Library is hosting an exhibition of work by prisoners at the Isle of Man Prison.
A collaboration between the Library, Isle of Man Prison and University College of Man, the exhibition features artwork produced by Isle of Man Prison education students displayed as a PowerPoint presentation and includes a reproduction of a World War One image uncovered on a wall, The Unknown Soldier, a Koestler Trust competition award winner.
Founded in 1962 by a bequest from the British-Hungarian author Arthur Koestler, the Koestler Trust helps offenders and ex-offenders in the UK to express themselves creatively and gain new skills as a means to rehabilitation. Each year the trust awards and gives feedback to more than 3000 people submitting work across 50 categories of fine art, craft and design, performance and audio, film and animation and writing, to be judged by leading names in the arts and creative industries.
Michael Coleman MLC, member of the Department of Home Affairs with responsibility for the prison and probation service said: ‘I am extremely impressed by the quality of the works in the Isle of Man Prison art exhibition and am grateful that the Koestler Trust provides an opportunity to show the skills to the general public.’
Prison education manager Fiona Robinson said: ‘Prison provides offenders time to develop skills and engage in creative activities which can be of considerable therapeutic benefit.
‘There is a great diversity of artwork in the exhibition, including a piece by a female student, Day of the Dead, which has been highly commended by the Koestler Trust and is destined to be displayed in a high-profile public in the UK, such as that of an MP, while another submission singled out for praise and a silver award is a poem titled Cheeky Boy.
‘We are very grateful to the Tynwald Library for giving us the opportunity to showcase some of the students’ work to a wider audience.’
The exhibition is on until Friday January 12, 2018.
The Tynwald Library is on the ground floor of the Legislative Buildings in Finch Road, Douglas and is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
