Great Prison Art Exchange

Sara Downham-Lotto & Chris Sargent – March 2018 – October 2021

Reducing self harm and suicide in male prisoners.

Transforming spaces inside and outside prison with artist-prisoner collaborative artwork.

‘The project encourages inclusivity and is challenging in a good way. It took me outside of my comfort zone and connecting with others. I felt encouraged watching other people’s eyes open to art and seeing their inspiration firing outside of the session. I think it encourages self-expression and I hope that we can keep it going.’

Dartmoor prisoner

The Great Prison Art Exchange is a National Lottery Community-funded project that used art to reduce instances of male suicide and self harm at HMP Dartmoor. Running for a total of three years, vulnerable male prisoners and Sara, collaborated to produce a body of work for display and instalment both inside and outside the prison establishment. Chris Sargent, a newly-graduated Drawing & Painting student from Arts University Plymouth, assisted on the project enjoying his first paid job doing what he loves.

The project also helped to build bridges and convey a positive message of hope and opportunity throughout the prison establishment. We delivered fortnightly artist-led experimental drawing and painting workshops; we provided art materials and equipment for individual in-cell work between sessions; we curated regular exhibitions in the community and instaledl displays inside the prison.

‘Through shared creative making, we make the first steps towards positive change. We talk, we laugh, we learn and begin to trust each other, build self-esteem and build relationships.’

Sara

‘While I was in the Arts Lab art group, all of my stresses from being in prison were alleviated, my mind was clear and stress free, I’d look forward to the next group and would create art between workshops to present in the next session.‘

‘Encouraged to explore new approaches to making art, I’ve discovered that I love painting and all of the things it can do. Each time I make a picture, I discover something new, pleasantly surprised by the end result.’

Dartmoor prisoner

In February 2020, Arts Lab received a Matrix Causes Fund grant to establish an online shop to sell collaboratively-made artwork, the proceeds of which will ensure the continuation of the project. The grant will also provide financial support for a member of the GPAE (Great Prison Art Exchange) group who has recently left prison and wants to start a business nurturing and selling prisoner/ outsider art.

‘I want to express my gratitude to Arts Lab for their commitment to our art project over the past year. I am very proud of what we have achieved. It has been very special and my involvement has been a highlight of my time spent as Safer Custody Manager.

Moving forward, I dearly hope that you manage to secure the necessary funding, there is no doubt that the sessions improved the lives of those involved and has played a part in making the Dartmoor community a little safer. My hope is that you will now manage to get some of the wonderful work up on the walls, it is a credit to the participants and its presence will brighten up the day for those who pass by.’

Safer Custody Manager, HMP Dartmoor

To date, we have installed 20 pieces of art on the corridor walls of Dartmoor Prison and have had 3 exhibitions at Arts Lab, Dartington in South Devon: Art As Collaboration I & II and Inside Out. The latter brings together artwork from workshops inside the prison, individual pieces created in cells between sessions and work started in the prison and finished outside by Sara.

From May-October 2021, the exhibition Shared Worlds was held at the National Park Visitor Centre in Princetown, Dartmoor National Park – a display of 20 collaboratively-created artworks by Sara and prisoners on the GPAE. Your Shared Worlds was a free creative-making activity available for all the family.

Further reading & more art:

Project Prisoners Sharing the Light (2020-21)

Online Exhibition Art as Collaboration (2019)

Online Exhibition Can’t Sleep with a Storm in Your Head (2019)

Art Matters Post Spring Experimenters Take our Work with Prisoners to a New Level (Spring 2021)

Dartmoor Magazine article Sharing the Light at HMP Dartmoor (Spring edition 2021)

Experiment Being Human – student explores perceptions of good and evil with prisoners (Winter 2020-21)

Online exhibition Cell Scenes (Jan. 2021)

Devon Live article Dartmoor Prisoners are Finding their Voice Through Art (28th Dec. 2020)

Art Matters Post Forgotten. Not Forgotten (Nov. 2020)

Art Matters Post Lessons from the Locked Up in Lock Down (May 2020)

Art Matters Post Human Kindness in Crisis Foreshadowed in Prisoner Art Show (March 2020)