Prison arts exhibit now on display at GHS
Goessel High School announces an unusual art exhibit for the month of February in the Emil Kym Art Gallery. Titled "Unchained Spirits," it is an exhibit of prison inmate artwork from the Hutchinson Correctional Facility. The exhibit features mostly acrylic paintings.
The exhibit stems from a class taken by Goessel art instructor Brian Stucky last summer on "Crime and Punishment from a Teacher's Perspective," when Stucky's class visited HCF and he made contacts with officials there. It was then that the idea of an exhibit in Goessel High School was planted.
"I knew of Prison Arts programs where college professors teach poetry, drama, and choral music to touch the soul and change lives of the inmates in a way that other methods cannot," Stucky said. "Some Bethel College professors have participated in these efforts, and I know the coordinator of the program up at Lansing. The question is, if a prisoner is released back into society, what kind of person will be your neighbor someday? Has there been any rehabilitation at all? Prison Arts programs take a positive step in the right direction, and we wanted to be a small part of that."
Stucky is also eager to gauge the reaction of Goessel High School and Junior High School students.
"I want them to see what kind of artwork happens when your freedom is taken away from you," he said. "Does the creative spirit stop because you are behind bars?"
The exhibit will be up from Feb. 3 through Feb. 24. Hours are 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact Stucky at Goessel High School at 367-4722 or leave a message at 2242.
