“Mandala with Eye” by George Taylor IV is included in the “Inside Art” exhibit.

Visual art is one of the programs offered through VHJR. For three hours each week artists Carla Rosenzweig, Linda White, Karin Hills, Mary Jellison and Anne Williams provide residents with instruction, information and materials to create works of art.

Judy Garvey, founder of the volunteer program, explained art was chosen as a subject because the original organizers “were very aware of how art helps people become more focused.” Garvey said that by providing the tools to create visual art, VHJR supports an outlet of expression for those who are not particularly inclined to write or create music. Garvey emphasized that the positive rewards residents glean from participation in the program are experienced equally by the volunteers. “To go in and meet with people who are happy you are there is very beneficial,” she said.

Patrick Willigar, one of the many beneficiaries of the program, spoke of his wholehearted admiration for the volunteers. He explained that the teachers go to great lengths to bring in materials residents have never had the chance to work with. Willigar described his surprise at seeing Carla Rosenzweig, an older and “tissue-paper-thin” woman lugging in hundreds of pounds of art supplies, including stretched canvas and acrylic paint, novel and luxurious materials. More important than the materials or the training, Willigar said the program provided him with a real community of truly caring people. They were responsible for inspiring “a lot of hope at a time when I had none,” he said.

Willigar wanted to share his story because he hopes to be a resource for other people trying to heal and reintegrate into society. Willigar has many hopes and plans for his future, including a desire to help the VHJR to establish “The Landing,” a nonresidential post-release re-entry center. The center would help recently released individuals find counseling and employment services along with medical care, housing and transportation.

When Maine visual artists Mary Barnes and Sherry Streeter caught wind of the VHJR art program they were immediately struck by the unique opportunity it presented. They found the work produced by the residents of Hancock Jail very telling, displaying not only many hours of labor but also the depth of emotion — love, passion, pain and insight — present in all truly creative products. These particular characteristics led Barnes and Streeter to the conclusion that the art could be a perfect catalyst for communication between the inside and the outside.

Thus the two artists began to organize Maine’s first public art exhibit by Hancock Jail residents. “Inside Out” as the show has been aptly named, will be on display from June 7 to July 2 at The Grand in Ellsworth. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, June 7, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the art will be available at reasonable prices. The opening will provide the opportunity for conversation with artists who have served their sentences, the art teachers, volunteers and exhibit organizers.

Garvey explained that due to limited space not all of the art produced could be exhibited. The rest will appear in the third volume of “Notes from Inside,” a collection of written works by the residents of Hancock Jail. 

 For information, call 374-3608 or visit www.jailvolunteers.org.