An exhibit showcasing art work from inmates across the state is opens this month. Viewers will see several different media the inmates work in.
Inmates create everything from paintings and beadwork, to toothpick sculptures for the upcoming art show. This is the third year of the exhibit. Lois Beckner is the Cultural Arts Program Coordinator at the Aberdeen Recreation and Cultural Center.
“The first year I think we started off with like maybe 50 pieces. Last year we had over 400 pieces. The ingenuity of these people, because they have to do with what they have is just incredible, what they think of.”
She says people travel from all over the state to see the work. She says some inmates send letters to the show’s coordinators expressing their appreciation for the exhibit. Beckner says they sell a lot of pieces.
“Whatever they send to me, I will put in because it’s something they’ve worked on, something they can be proud of. We tape the reception and send it back so they can put it on the prison T.V. so they can see it and we send the comments to them. It means a lot to them.”
Beckner says the money from work sold goes to the artist. The reception is scheduled November 30th in Aberdeen.