HMP Oakwood prisoners use art in campaign to help prevent suicides
Prisoners from HMP Oakwood have exhibited their art work to help highlight a suicide prevention campaign.
The exhibition at the Lighthouse Media Centre, in Wolverhampton, also includes the work of a variety of artists, poets, and photographers, besides films and performances.
Mayor Claire Darke attended the launch of the exhibition which ran until November 30.
It was co-ordinated with the support of Outside Centre and Real Arts Workshops (RAW).
The arts project at Oakwood has the rehabilitation of inmates at its core, so they prefer to refer to them as “learners”.
Alex Vann, 49, owner of RAW, said about curating the work of the prisoners: “I’ve called them ‘inmates’ in social media but I’ve been corrected by prison staff, it’s actually better to call them learners because they’re learning skills within prison; they’re learning, hopefully, a better way to live life, as opposed to ‘inmates’ where it’s something final.”
Among the artists is the first Wolverhampton Poet Laureate, Emma Purshouse. Alex said: “What I’ve been blown away by is the diversity.
“So, we’ve got Asian women artists, black people, all sorts of sexualities, male, female, young artists fresh out of university, more experienced artists who’ve already been doing this for a while.
"Some of the artists struggle with suicidal thoughts and art is a very good way of reaching people and it’s a story of hope. There’s light at the end of the tunnel when you’re depressed.”
A few works will be available for sale, and 40 per cent of earnings will go to the mayor’s charities, including the Wolverhampton Suicide Prevention Stakeholders Forum.
The Lighthouse Media Centre is based in the Chubb Buildings, in Fryer Street.
Oakwood was rated second-most crowded prison in the country last August.
By Cilene Tanaka
