CONTACT: Stephanie Marquis, 608-266-1683

APPLETON ART CENTER TO HOST INMATE ART EXHIBIT

December 5-20 in Kretzschmar Education Center

MADISON -  Appleton Art Center presents the exhibition Re-emergence: An Inmate Art Exhibit from December 5-20 featuring more than 30 works of art by Wisconsin inmates. The exhibition will be on view in the art center's Kretzshmar Education Center. The exhibit is a collaborative effort between the Appleton Art Center, the Wisconsin Resource Center and the Correctional Education Association of Wisconsin.

A special reception free and open to the public is scheduled for Friday, December 12 from 5:00-8:00 PM. The reception will include refreshments and music by the group Acoustic Soup.

The Wisconsin Resource Center (WRC) provides treatment for correctional inmates with severe mental health and behavioral problems. As part of the treatment process, offenders are encouraged to participate in community service projects. By partnering with the Appleton Art Center, offenders who suffer from mental health problems engage in an act of restitution for their crimes and also have a chance to enhance their feelings of self-worth.

Five years ago, WRC teacher Ken VanMieghem recruited some of his students to produce artwork, which could be used in fundraising events. "This productive involvement aids in their recovery from mental illness and helps them to regain their sense of self-worth and optimism," he says. "The inmate art exhibit provides the inmates with a chance to help others and an opportunity to find new meanings in their lives."

All works of art will be included in a silent auction with proceeds benefiting Appleton Art Center's new project, ArtStart: Reaching Disadvantaged Youth. ArtStart is designed to introduce disadvantaged youth to the arts and provide them with opportunities for participation in creative activities.

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Last Revised:  July 12, 2010