(Providence, RI) – “Art has helped me to see who I really am inside…” begins a statement from a former inmate at the Adult Correctional Institution (ACI) in Cranston. The artistic expressions of current inmates at the ACI are on display during April and May at the Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill, a gallery space located across from the State House in the State’s Main Administration Building managed by the State Arts Council.
This is the tenth annual exhibit of “Arts in Corrections”, a show featuring works of art, poetry and prose by adults incarcerated at the ACI.
The annual ACI Art Show has been extremely popular, judging from the comments left by visitors to the exhibit. The work is strong, often introspective, and the artistic expression of the inmates often moves those who see it.
Marietta Cleasby, an art instructor at the RI Department of Corrections for almost 20 years, is the curator of the exhibition and is responsible for choosing the 135 pieces to be displayed. All works are reviewed by the Department’s Special Investigations Unit prior to being displayed. The theme of this year’s show, selected by the inmate artists, is justice. The works deal with this topic on a personal, state or national, or global basis.
The Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill is a cooperative project between the State Arts Council and the State Department of Administration. The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts is a state agency supported by appropriations from the Rhode Island General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.