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
NCJAA professional mentoring scheme applications open soon
Applications to take part in the next round of the NCJAA mentoring scheme open on November 29th. The mentoring service is for anyone that is new or emerging in the sector and wants to learn more about arts and criminal justice and develop professionally – and needs specific support to enable them to do so more effectively. The scheme will be an opportunity for both mentors and mentees to connect with others to share ideas and experiences around arts in criminal justice. We will announce further details on Monday 29th - keep an eye out for an email from us. Read more about the scheme here
Arts in criminal justice network forum: access to prisons
Join the NCJAA for a network forum to discuss and share experiences around access challenges faced by arts practitioners working in secure settings. The impact of regime restrictions brought in under Covid-19 continues to cause disruption to arts provision in prisons. Where practitioners have gained access, they are increasingly faced with additional challenges that impact their work. At the forum, we will be joined by Good Vibrations Executive Director Katy Haigh and Only Connect CEO Simon Pellew sharing how they have approached issues of access to deliver projects in prisons, and we’ll hear an update on how current policy may affect arts in criminal justice practitioners. There will also be opportunity for discussion – in particular, we’d like to hear your experiences around prison access to inform our policy influencing work and help us advocate on your behalf. Sign up here
Supporting, promoting and representing arts organisations in 2020-21
We are delighted to present the Clinks Annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31st March 2021. The profound and unprecedented impact of Covid-19 on everyone working in, and affected by, the criminal justice system, combined with large scale changes in the criminal justice policy and operating environment, has resulted in a particularly trying and turbulent year. The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance embedded in Clinks, working alongside the sector, has continued to support, promote and represent voluntary organisations and arts practitioners throughout this extremely challenging time. This report sets out the activities we've undertaken to do just that. Find out more here
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Please email info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk with any news, research, events, opportunities or blog proposals.
Voices from Prison anthology launch
26th November | London | £10
Join artist, podcaster and previous Koestler Award winner Gary Mansfield to launch a new anthology, Koestler Voices: New Poetry from Prisons Vol.3. Part of Koestler Art’s 2021 exhibition The I and the We, currently on display at the Southbank Centre, the launch event will feature powerful performances of written works entered into the 2020 and 2021 Koestler Awards. Book your ticket here
Event showcasing art’s role in restorative justice
8th December | online | free
The European Forum for Restorative Justice’s REstART event will bring together artists using creative methodologies to share the stories of marginalised groups to stimulate dialogue on conflict and polarisation. It will also include a discussion with the director(s) of the film Another Justice, which tells the story of a restorative justice encounter. Sign up here
Cell Outs: Former prison officers' debut play
27th -29th January | London | £10-12
Cell Outs is a dark comedy from new theatre company Glasshouse Theatre, written and performed by two ex-prison officers. Harriet and Ella joined a grad scheme which promised to fulfil their wildest social justice dreams. Equipped with their humanities degrees and bright-eyed ideals, they started training. Just six weeks later they’re on the landings, fully qualified prison officers. An insight into the world of those working behind bars, Cell Outs draws on these ex-officers' experiences and the stories of those they worked alongside. Book your ticket here
National Justice Museum wins Best Museums Change Lives Project
The National Justice Museum has been awarded the Best Museums Change Lives Project at this year’s Museums Change Lives awards for its Make it Yours: Workshops in an Envelope project. When lockdown forced the free, weekly creative workshops at the museum to pause, they diverted budget and materials to reaching people isolating in their homes and in local prisons with their workshop packs on topics including soap sculpture and creating worry dolls. Find out more
Exhibition: plants, prisons and potential
As part of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Gardens of Imagination project, artist Faye Claridge took RHS archive material into HMP Send. The collection documents how prisoners of war set up a horticultural society in Ruhleben internment camp in Germany during WW1. In the summer of 2021, women at the prison took inspiration from the collection to create artwork, photography and illustration reflecting their own experiences of gardening. Find out more and view the exhibition here
Listen to George the Poet’s Longford Lecture
Acclaimed spoken word performer and podcaster George the Poet led this year’s Longford Lecture with a discussion on the theme of ‘Change From The Inside: What is possible inside prisons that is not possible on the outside?’. Featuring poetry, panellists, stories and more, the lecture was broadcast into prison cells around the country. Listen back to the lecture here
The Pentonville Play
A new animated film voiced by men in HMP Pentonville tells the story of a young man who gets involved with a group of gang members. Originally written and devised by residents of HMP Pentonville in collaboration with Bird Podcast & Time4Change, the play was then brought to life with animation. Watch the play on YouTube here
Skin Hunger: performance installation about the power of touch
A new short film by theatre company Dante or Die featuring a former prisoner explores a live performance about the power of touch in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. The film follows three audience members as they interact with the performance and share their insights into how live performance and the arts are a vital tool to create shared experience. The audience members include Morgan, a former prisoner who didn’t see any family and friends whilst in prison; a dementia care worker who uses touch to comfort and calm her patients; and a leading neuroscientist specialising in the importance of touch to human development. Watch the film here
New funding for volunteering in arts
Expressions of interest by 6th December
Arts Council England’s new Volunteering Futures fund is making £4.7 million available through National Lottery Project Grants to support cultural organisations to work with volunteers. Organisations will be able to apply for over £100,000 to support high quality volunteering opportunities for young people and those that experience barriers to getting involved in volunteering across arts, heritage, museums, libraries, sport and other community settings. Find out more here
Call for organisations to join HMPPS Insights22 Festival line-up
Apply by 31st January
The Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Insights22 Festival will be taking place on 9th-20th May 2022 and the team are now accepting offers from organisations who wish to be included in the festival line-up. The festival brings people who work for, and alongside, HMPPS together to learn, connect, and share good practice. The team are looking for a broad range of events and learning opportunities, which could be large online events, small group in-person visits or events, or exclusive VIP opportunities. Find out more and apply here
To search for more funding opportunities, check the Clinks funding portal here (only available for Clinks members).
Jobs
Development Manager, Synergy Theatre Project
Office Administrator, Odd Arts
Workplace Development Programme Assistant Director, Open Clasp Theatre Company
Project Manager, Criminal Justice, National Literacy Trust
Take a creative break: create Jackson Pollock-style paint splat art using your mouse here
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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