Advocacy and art: “Prison Portrait Art Project” planting seeds of hope, faith, support for incarcerated people
Benefit art show and sale offers works by 26 Arkansas artists
by Ellis Widner | October 27, 2019 at 2:15 a.m.
Meikel Church was more than a little surprised when he was invited to participate in Compassion Works for All's "Prison Portrait Art Project."
"I told them, 'I don't do portraits,'" says Church, who is a mixed media collage artist. Still, it was a challenge the North Little Rock artist, who assembles collages from cut-out paper images from magazines, books and other sources, couldn't resist.
“Prison Portrait Art Project”
5-8 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, New Deal Gallery, 2003 S. Louisiana St., Little Rock
Proceeds benefit Compassion Works for All
Information: (501) 367-7858, compassionworksforall.org
"One hesitancy I had was whether the crime the person committed would get in the way of my ability to make art."
Sondra Strong, an instructional facilitator in mathematics at Cloverdale Middle School in Little Rock who also is an artist, says she responded to an opportunity to "humanize someone who may be condemned by society."
"I believe there is always hope for everyone."
Church and Strong are among 26 artists chosen to participate in the benefit art show for the Little Rock-based nonprofit that teaches meditation and conflict resolution to inmates in Arkansas correctional facilities and distributes a newsletter to prisoners nationwide. The weekend event opens with a reception at 5 p.m. Friday at New Deal Gallery, 2003 S. Louisiana St., Little Rock. The exhibition and sale continue 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.
Gallery: Prison Portrait Art Project
Morgan Leyenberger, executive director of Compassion Works for All, says inmates were invited to participate through a notice in the organization's Dharma Friends newsletter.
"We asked them for pictures and to write something about themselves. About 12 responded with complete submissions. Because we had 26 artists, we had to double up, so we tried to pair artists who have different styles."