Expressing the "heARTs Behind the Violence" // Artists Respond Guest Blog
The following guest blog was written by Artists Rsepond microgrant recipient On the Move Art Studio about their traveling art exhibit “heARTS Behind the Violence,” featuring creative expressions from incarcerated youth. Learn more about this project at kyrux.org/microgrants/2024, and visit On the Move Art Studio online at onthemoveartstudio.org. Click on each image below to enlarge.
Incarcerated youth are anonymous, faceless, and unknown to the public. Yet, they are young people with dreams, emotions, and, yes, problems. One way we can learn more about them is to witness their artistic expressions.
Since 2022, On the Move Art Studio has been privileged to teach weekly art lessons at the Fayette County and Warren County juvenile detention centers. Our students are males, ages 12-18, and have committed serious crimes. Students come from rural and urban environments from all over Kentucky. The overwhelming majority of the youth have experienced trauma of all types in their young lives. For a few, residing at the detention center is preferable to returning to their homes.
Our art classes are enjoyed by everyone. Students love the opportunity to be creative. The environment at the detention centers can be described as “institutional” at best. Escaping that environment mentally and emotionally through art is important for students’ well-being.
Marker on mixed media paper, using Zentangle patterns.
Students experiment with different media, painting techniques, and tools in their classes. In addition, they learn more than art as they collaborate with one another and explore their inner world. One of the best outcomes of this work is the pride our students feel when their artwork is seen by visitors to the detention centers and through this exhibition.
The heARTS Behind the Violence Traveling Art Exhibit was designed to invite audiences to get to know more about the anonymous youth through their artworks. Currently, the exhibit is hanging at the Paris/Bourbon Public Library from November 15-December 20, 2024. Four additional exhibit locations are scheduled for 2025. These sites are in Mt. Sterling, Bowling Green, Frankfort, and Lexington. At each site, local media will be invited to view the exhibit and learn more about the artists through interviews with On The Move Art Studio’s Executive Director, Kathy Werking.
Artists learned about the power of art to provide public messages of safety and justice. Students studied street murals and then created their own small-scale mural.
This exhibit would not be possible without the efforts of our instructors, Ms. Lanora Long and Ms. Callie Denham, the staff and administration of the Fayette County and Warren County Detention Centers, and the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange. Of course, we are deeply indebted to the heartfelt work of our art students.