The art of inspiration

Many of you who have visited clients incarcerated at Wormwood Scrubs prison will have passed by the rather scruffy offices of the Koestler Trust, situated by the side of the building. Generally, the scruffier a charity’s offices,
the more I warm to them.

The Koestler Trust assists offenders, secure patients
and detainees in leading more positive lives by motivating
them to participate and achieve in the arts.

Their results are truly incredible. Anyone wanting an insight into their achievements should immediately dash to their exhibition at the Southbank centre, ‘Catching Dreams’, which is a thought-provoking, at times disturbing and at times very wonderful exhibition of prison art. I went to it last year and was entranced by the sheer quality of the work. This year it has stepped up a notch and the works on display could rival those at Tate Modern or the Saatchi Gallery.

Not only does Koestler assist prisoners while they are doing their time, but it also provides mentors for prisoners once they have been released to help them continue with their art and perhaps make a living out of it.

Like all good things, this is a very simple idea. What’s the point in locking people up without hope, ambition or nurture?
While prison is obviously about punishment, it must also be about helping those who might be a benefit to society once their sentence has come to an end.

Each year, the trust receives some 8,000 entries seeking either a space at its exhibition or an award. Some of the works are sold; others are not. Some of the entrants receive a modest cash prize, which gives them a degree of pride and motivation to produce other works.

Working with prisoners in this way is an inspirational use of a charity’s funds. It empowers prisoners and gives them a sense of purpose which they simply would not have without their art.

It also gives us all a little hope that our staggeringly large prison population (one of the largest
in Europe) is not just festering away but is actually involved in something constructive and worthwhile.

While I was at the exhibition, one of the ex-offenders gave a rather pithy and insightful speech about what the trust meant to him. He had spent 14 years in prison but now he was out, trying to make his way in the world with his art and assisting in curating the exhibition.

I was moved and inspired
by what he had to say.

Stephen Shaw, the prisons and probation ombudsman, has said: “The Koestler awards represent an injection of creativity, humanity and empowerment into the closed world of prisons.”

Do support the Koestler Trust. Remember, prison should not be an end. Prisoners will (on the whole) come out and we all have a responsibility to make sure that they come out better people. Koestler attempts to do just that.
I didn’t take Cosmo to the exhibition – I got the idea
he would not have been
allowed in! SJ