National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance

Anne Peaker Lecture 2022: The power of words
2022-01-19 16:00 - 18:00 (Europe/London) | Online
19th January | 16:00-18:00 | online | free
“Words are things, I’m convinced… Someday we’ll be able to measure the power of words. I think they are things. I think they get on the walls, they get in your wallpaper, they get in your rugs, in your upholstery, in your clothes. And, finally, into you.” – Maya Angelou
The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance is excited to invite you to our annual Anne Peaker lecture.
Joining us in conversation will be Ashleigh Nugent, award winning author of LOCKS and Creative Director of Rise Up CIC; Lady Unchained, award winning broadcaster at Audio Production Awards 2021 and Creative Director of Unchained Poetry; and Akemia Minott, youth worker, activist and Managing Director of 84 YOUTH.
This year, our guests will be exploring the power of words; their power to move us, define us, build us up and tear us down, but most importantly, their ability to heal and to effect positive change.
Anne Peaker was a pioneer of arts for, and by, people in the criminal justice system. Our annual lecture honours her work and legacy, which forms the basis of the work we do today.
The event will also include performances and an audience Q&A.
Full programme details to follow.
The best virtual event I have attended – so engaging. The incredible co-creation element and putting lived experience at the heart of what you do. It’s just fantastic, and I feel really privileged to have been here today. I don’t want it to end! – Anne Peaker 2020 attendee

Image credit: Elijah Thompson

Arts in criminal justice network forum: access to prisons
2021-12-13 11:00 - 13:00 | Online
13th December | 11:00-13:00 | online | free The impacts of regime restrictions brought in under Covid-19 are still being felt in prisons and continue to cause widespread disruption to arts provision. Where practitioners have gained access, they are increasingly faced with additional challenges that impact their work.
At the forum, we will be joined by Good Vibrations Executive Director Katy Haigh and Only Connect CEO Simon Pellew sharing how they have approached issues of access to deliver projects in prisons during the Covid-19 pandemic. Also joining us will be Clean Break’s Joint Artistic Director, Anna Herrmann and Geese Theatre Company’s Artistic Director/CEO Andy Watson to lead discussion on some of the wider access and safeguarding issues practitioners are faced with.
There will also be opportunity for discussion – in particular, we’d like to hear your experiences around prison access to inform our policy influencing work and help us advocate on your behalf.
The arts and criminal justice network forum is a space for network-led discussion, and we welcome all arts-based organisations, freelancers and prison-based practitioners currently working in the criminal justice system.
The NCJAA will chair the conversation, but please note that this will be a network-led discussion. We particularly welcome arts in criminal justice freelancers, practitioners and anyone else seeking to connect with others in the sector to give and gain support.
Please register if you would like to attend. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing all information required to join the meeting, including a password.
We’re committed to making everything we do accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs please let us know when you book and we’ll do our best to meet them.
If you have any questions about the meetings, please email info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk. If you experience any issues with booking, please contact events@clinks.org.

Exhibition: Restricted views - creative outlooks
2021-12-01 - 2021-12-13 | Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
1st-13th December | Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool An innovative photography project by Novus learners from HMP Risley and HMP Thorn Cross is being showcased at Liverpool’s Open Eye Gallery.
Titled Restricted Views – Creative Outlooks, the exhibition will display the programme of work created during the project, reflecting the photographic collaboration between artists Hafsah Naib and Simon Bray and Novus learners.
Combining the skills of socially engaged photographers with the life experiences of both learners within prison settings and their families, the programme explored how photography and creativity can be used as a tool for self-expression, to enhance family relationships, an as a way of learning new skills.
Image courtesy of Novus

Clinks annual conference and AGM 2021
2021-11-23 - 2021-11-25 | Online
23rd – 25th November | online | from free Bookings are now open for Clinks’ annual conference and AGM 2021: Building a better future. This year’s event takes place online over three days and is packed full of workshops, talks and panel discussions. You’ll have the chance to hear from key policy makers and voluntary sector leaders at a wide range of workshops covering topics including restorative justice, neurodiversity, changing perceptions of women with convictions and more. At the workshop ‘How to deliver creative projects online’, explore how Synergy Theatre has adapted its creative work with young people to an online delivery model, and gain new skills and ideas for adapting projects for online work.

Invisible Sentences from Uninterrupted Theatre
2021-11-20 19:30 - 21:30 | Brighton, United Kingdom
20th November | Brighton | £10 What happens when someone you love serves a prison sentence? Invisible Sentences is a new play based on real stories from women with loved ones in prison. The production is a project of Uninterrupted Theatre, a theatre collective formed during lockdown in 2020 that aims to create live theatre in response to current themes. Developed in partnership with women who have a family member serving a prison sentence, the play is based on verbatim accounts and is presented in partnership with Sussex Prisoners’ Families. The performance will be followed by a panel discussion with Q&A around the themes of the play.

Unchained Nights: poetry and music
2021-11-18 19:00 - 21:30 | London, London, United Kingdom
18th November | London | from £5 Poet Lady Unchained returns to host Unchained Nights in partnership with ArtsAdmin, featuring storytelling through music and poetry by artists with lived experience of the criminal justice system. The evening also sees the premiere of Lady Unchained’s upcoming film, and a preview of her spoken word project alongside Theatre31 with young people at HMP Cookham Wood. The event will be BSL interpreted.
Image courtesy of Artsadmin

Training: Working creatively with women in the criminal justice system
2021-11-15 - 2021-12-01 | Online
15th November – 1st December | online | £240, bursaries available This online course provides an insight into theatre company Clean Break’s work for theatre artists, group work practitioners and applied theatre students who are passionate about women’s experiences and interested in theatre practice in prisons, criminal justice, and community settings. Taking place over six three-hour sessions, the course will be led by Clean Break facilitators and artists; Clean Break Members (women with lived experience of the criminal justice system or risk of entering it) will also join and contribute their reflections. Through interactive exercises, group work and discussion, participants will consider best practice when working in women-only settings; learn ideas for facilitating workshops in criminal justice settings; and explore next steps in pursuing this field as a career.
Image courtesy of Clean Break, credit Tracey Anderson

Changing Tunes Annual Concert
2021-11-13 19:00 - 21:30 | Redland Church Hall, Redland Church Hall, Redland Green Road, Redland, BS6 7HE, United Kingdom
13th November | Bristol | free Changing Tunes is hosting its annual concert – an inspiring evening of music and insights from participants that Changing Tunes has worked with in prison and post-release. The event will showcase some of the first artists to be represented by Red Tangent Records – Changing Tunes’ new record label and artist development scheme for people who’ve been in the criminal justice system. The Manager of Red Tangent Records, who is also a Musician-in-Residence and former Changing Tunes participant, will introduce the label, which aims to nurture budding musicians who’ve been in prison or the youth justice system. The event will be livestreamed so you can join online or in person.
Image courtesy of Changing Tunes Midlands

My Old Man: new play from imagine if
2021-11-07 - 2021-12-02 | Various – UK, Various, United Kingdom
7th November – 2nd December | various UK venues | various ticket prices Theatre company imagine if’s latest production My Old Man follows the trials and tribulations of Michał, an old, blind, Polish soldier, in this funny and heartfelt production. A spin-off of imagine if’s 2019 production Jadek, which toured to theatres, prisons and community venues, the production explores themes of intergenerational relationships, post-traumatic stress disorder and family ties. When Michał Piwowarski’s granddaughter, Tasha, finally moves out, Michał’s whole world changes: the school dinner lady becomes his favourite person, a new neighbour moves onto the street and he has to face his biggest battle yet.
Image courtesy of Imagine If Theatre

‘The I and the We’: Koestler Arts annual exhibition
2021-10-29 - 2021-12-05 | Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX
29th October – 5th December | London | free This year’s Koestler Arts UK exhibition is back in Level 1 of Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. Curated by artist Camille Walala and her sister, curator Sarah Ihler-Meyer, ‘The I and the We’ will showcase 200 pieces of art, music and writing from the 2021 Koestler Awards. Expect quirky artworks made of found materials, works full of humour and joy, as well as pieces reflecting on loss, relationships and prison life, all created during the pandemic. The exhibition will be presented to the public by ex-prisoner exhibition hosts who will lead tours and answer questions about the artwork and criminal justice system. Image courtesy of Koestler Trust

Art in prison: online panel from Ripon Museums
2021-09-23 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
23rd September | 7pm | online | £5 How can art benefit people in the criminal justice system? In this online panel from Ripon Museums, speakers will talk about using archival research to create art, their experiences of creative projects in prisons and the impact they can have on the people taking part.
The panel will include:

Jo Tapp, Arts Manager at Koestler Arts
Susanna Menis, Lecturer in Law at Birkbeck London University
Neil Dembry, Custodial Manager at Askham Grange in York

Arts in criminal justice forum: probation
2021-09-14 15:00 - 16:30
14th September | 15:00-16:30 | online | free Join the NCJAA for our first arts in criminal justice forum. This virtual event will bring together people involved in arts and criminal justice to look at creative activity in the context of probation.
Following the unification of the Probation Service in June, the forum will explore current challenges, achievements and opportunities for arts in probation. We will be joined by a variety of speakers to discuss their work in arts in probation and community settings, and look at how provision can work best for all, whether that’s service users, artists or probation staff.
You’ll hear from speakers including:

BearFace Theatre
TiPP
Clinks’ policy experts
Leeds Activity Hub

The arts and criminal justice forum series is a regular online event themed around important ideas and relevant developments in criminal justice. You’ll have the chance to hear from expert speakers in both practice and policy and meet others working in the field.

Is Anyone There? Outdoor theatre by prison leavers in Leeds
2021-08-28 - 2021-08-29 | The Holbeck, Jenkinson Lawn, Leeds, LS11 9QX
28th and 29th August | Leeds | pay what you decide The latest show from imagine if theatre company, Is Anyone There?, debuts over the August bank holiday. This open air performance will be devised by participants from imagine if’s new arts and rehabilitation programme, Phoenix, which works with prison leavers and people with convictions to support their development. Through arts and employability workshops, creative experimentation, and holistic mentoring, participants are encouraged to develop their ideas and build confidence. These techniques will be developed to produce a show for a public audience with the support of a full professional creative team.

Online information session with Geese Theatre Company
2021-06-24 11:00 - 13:00
24th June | 11am-1pm | online | £5 Geese Theatre Company is hosting monthly online information sessions for anyone who would like to know more about their work in theatre and criminal justice.
Theatre practitioners, artists, students, criminal justice and social welfare professionals are invited to join Geese to find out about their theatre-based groupwork, performances and work with masks.
Participants have the opportunity to:

Hear about the range of their work
Learn about their ethos and theoretical approach
See filmed examples
Ask their own questions

Image courtesy of Geese Theatre

NCJAA network hangout
2021-06-17 11:00 - 12:30
17th June | 11:00-12:30 | online | free Join the NCJAA and others working in arts and criminal justice for a virtual hang out. This is an opportunity for our network to come together to talk, share, and learn from each other during these challenging times.
The NCJAA will chair the conversation, but please note that this will be a network-led discussion. We particularly welcome arts in criminal justice freelancers, practitioners and anyone else seeking to connect with others in the sector to give and gain support.
Spaces are limited, so please register if you would like to attend. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing all information required to join the meeting, including a password.
We’re committed to making everything we do accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs please let us know when you book and we’ll do our best to meet them.
If you have any issues registering or questions about the meetings, please email info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk.

Applied Shakespeare in the Criminal Justice System
2021-06-09 14:10 - 14:50
9th June | 2:10-2:50pm | online | free Learn more about how Shakespeare is used in criminal justice settings around the world at this panel on the topic of International Networks and Communities: Applied Shakespeare in the Criminal Justice System. Dr Rowan Mackenzie (who spoke to us in 2019 about her experience of rehearsing and performing an adaptation of Macbeth in HMP Gartree in a blog which you can read here) will be joined in conversation with representatives from the Shakespeare in Prisons Network, Shakespeare Prison Project, Detroit Public Theatre and other institutions, including:

Stratis Panourios, Theatre and Cinema Director, Greece
Dr Jonathan Shailor, University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Director of Shakespeare Prison Project
Frannie Shepherd-Bates, Director of Shakespeare in Prison, Detroit Public Theatre
Michael Shortt, Alumni of Shakespeare Prison Project
Haisan Williams, Alumni of Shakespeare Prison Project

The conversation forms part of a three-day event to celebrate the launch of the Shakespeare Beyond Borders Alliance, a new initiative which brings together Shakespeare practitioners, directors, government representatives, scholars, and institutions with the aim of fostering dialogue, collaboration and mutual learning across national, social and disciplinary borders.
Image courtesy of Dr Rowan Mackenzie.

Launch event: Enabling creativity in a restricted regime
2021-06-08 14:30 - 16:00
8th June | 2.30-4pm | online | free Join us to launch our new guide, Creativity in a restricted regime: a guide for prison staff, at an event made possible by the Rothschild Foundation. We will be joined by speakers from voluntary and arts organisations and policy experts to hear their perspective on enabling creativity in prisons throughout Covid-19.
Over a challenging year, we have seen incredible resilience and creativity on the part of those working to provide ongoing Covid-19-safe arts provision in prisons. The guide, produced by the NCJAA on behalf of the Arts Forum, showcases examples of this work and includes guidance for prison staff on how to make creative activity possible throughout Covid-19 and beyond.
Speakers to be announced soon. There will be an opportunity for Q&A.
Image courtesy of Rideout. Credit: Paul Gent.

New exhibitions for summer 2021 from Koestler Arts
2021-05-17 - 2021-07-31
from 17th May | online As museums and galleries begin to reopen, Koestler Arts presents three new exhibitions of artwork by people in the criminal justice system. The exhibitions showcase drawings, paintings, sculpture, writing and music from around the country, chosen from over 6,500 artworks entered into the 2020 Koestler Awards.
Soul Journey to Truth, curated by performance artist and poet Lady Unchained, opens at Manchester’s HOME on 17th May as part of the Ripples of Hope Festival.
My Path, the first-ever Koestler Arts exhibition in Yorkshire, has been curated by a group of young people in partnership with Sheffield Youth Justice Service and will open at Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery on 20th May.
Power: Freedom to Create is a collaboration between Koestler Arts and the National Justice Museum and will showcase contemporary and historic artwork made in criminal justice settings alongside newly commissioned work by six artists and writers. Opening on 21st May, the exhibition’s theme of power and creativity was inspired by a soap sculpture from the museum’s collection, created by someone in prison, whose power to connect with viewers sparked the idea for the project.

Webinar: How Can Arts Practice Inform Policy Change?
2021-03-31 14:00 - 15:00
31st March | 2-3pm | online | free This webinar brings together artists, policy makers, and campaigning organisations to consider how arts practices can inform the recovery and transformation of the prison service during and beyond Covid-19.
Guests including NCJAA Co-Chair Simon Ruding and speakers from the Prison Reform Trust and Arts Council England will contribute to a panel discussion, which will be followed by a participatory discussion with attendees.
This webinar emerges from the Sounding Out project, a collaboration between the University of Reading, Rideout Creative Arts for Rehabilitation, and the Prison Reform Trust that explores how creative sound and audio practices might bring the voices of people in prison into policy making conversations.

The Creativity in Youth Justice Symposium
2021-03-18 13:00 - 16:00 | Online
18th March 2021
1pm-4pm
Online
Free The Creativity in Youth Justice Symposium is a chance for artist educators and youth justice workers to come together and discuss how creative practices can be used to engage and spark creativity in young people who are in the youth justice system in the UK. The event will also celebrate the successes and highlight some of the challenges that both sides face working in the sector, with access to resources, keynote speakers and focused workshops run by seasoned professionals in their field.
Special guest speaker to be announced soon.
Read a blog from event organiser Xavier Fiddes about the story behind the Symposium and the importance of creativity in youth justice here.

BROAD: Symposium exploring dance drama techniques in secure settings
2021-03-17 14:00 - 17:00
17th March | online | free Company Chameleon, Odd Arts and UCLAN’s Psychosocial Research Unit are inviting you to an afternoon symposium exploring the impact of BROAD, a dance drama programme delivered in secure environments.
At the symposium, Company Chameleon and Odd Arts will be delivering some of the content live for attendees to join in and experience the approaches that BROAD uses. Professor Lynn Froggett and Dr Hugh Ortega Breton of UCLAN will discuss some of the concepts they explored in their research into the project.

Disrupted Lives: #ChooseToChallenge Maternal Imprisonment
2021-03-11 18:00 - 19:15 | Online
11th March | online | free Join Birth Companions and Clean Break online for a special International Women’s Day event, Disrupted Lives: #ChooseToChallenge Maternal Imprisonment.
With performances from Clean Break’s plays and a panel discussion, the event will explore the issues relating to maternal imprisonment; champion women’s resilience through adversity; and open up conversations around how we can all help drive positive change.
The panel and performances will be followed by an opportunity to ask questions and discuss what we can all do now to challenge maternal imprisonment.

Ain't Nuff Time - Research Workshop for Criminal Justice Practitioners
2021-03-02 17:00 - 18:00 | Online
2nd March | online | free Theatre company Imagine If are inviting people working in the criminal justice system to a free online workshop to share their experiences, get creative, have fun, and help shape the script for their upcoming film.
The workshop is aimed at prison officers, Learning & Skills Managers, prison chaplains, prison arts teachers, governors, probation officers or anyone else who works in the criminal justice system. Imagine If will build on the experiences of participants in writing the script for a new film to be disseminated in prisons later this year, to ensure that the film is relatable, relevant and truthful.

The Arts of Punishment: Experiences of Injustice, Prison & Artistic Expression
2021-03-01 10:00 - 12:00
1st March | online | free The University of Warwick is hosting an interactive Q&A session focused on unpacking lessons from lived experiences of imprisonment and injustice. Organised as part of Warwick’s sociology course but open to all, it features panellists who have been impacted by criminal justice institutions, policies and rationales and have used creative expression to communicate and make sense of their experiences. Focusing on a number of enduring problems facing criminal justice, the panel will explore how to move towards challenging racism, inequalities and stigma in the context of criminal justice. The event is aimed at students of law, criminology, sociology, politics or anyone else interested in hearing from first-hand accounts of prison, justice and marginalisation.
Panellists include spoken word artist Jason Smith; poet and NCJAA Steering Group member Brenda Birungi a.k.a. Lady Unchained; and Safe Ground’s Executive Director Charlotte Weinberg.
Image credit: Still from The Forgotten People by Lady Unchained and Tracy Kiryango

NCJAA network hang out: Staying connected through another lockdown
2021-01-28 15:00 - 16:30 | Online
28th January 2020
15:00 – 16:30
Online
Free The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance (NCJAA) invites you to join us for a virtual hang out. This is an opportunity for our network to come together to talk, share, and learn from each other during these challenging times.
At this event, we will discuss how we can maintain and build connections with each other and with the people in prison who have now been living under restricted regimes for almost a year. Join us to hear from others in the network and share your reflections, successes, and hopes for the year ahead.
Throughout 2020, arts in criminal justice organisations have had to radically adapt provision and approaches to stay connected with the people our sector serves. The new year brings new challenges – and new opportunities to use the experiences of the last year to engage creatively and meaningfully with people in the criminal justice system.
The NCJAA will chair the conversation, but please note that this will be a network-led discussion. We particularly welcome arts in criminal justice freelancers, practitioners and anyone else seeking to connect with others in the network to give and gain support.
Spaces are limited, so please register if you would like to attend. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing all information required to join the meeting, including a password.
We’re committed to making everything we do accessible to everyone. If you have any accessibility needs please let us know when you book and we’ll do our best to meet them.
If you have any issues registering or questions about the meetings, please email info@artsincriminaljustice.org.uk.
Keep checking the NCJAA website for further information on future events or sign up to the NCJAA newsletter here.
“It was actually a really fun and refreshing zoom session – breaking away into groups and having little chats together was something new and it was great to meet fellows who work in the CJS.” – NCJAA hang out attendee

The Forgotten People: Film Screening & Q&A
2021-01-26 17:00 - 18:00 | Online
The Forgotten People, a newly commissioned poem and film written and performed by artist and poet Lady Unchained, highlights racial inequality in the UK prison system. It was written at the Rotterdam Summer Lab in 2019, perfected during the Black Lives Matter protests in summer 2020 and filmed in South London.
Join Lady Unchained and filmmaker Tracy Kiryango for a free screening of the film, followed by an online conversation between the creatives and Q&A about the making of the film.
Captioning and BSL interpretation are available.

January theatre & criminal justice Q&A with Geese Theatre
2021-01-20 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
Geese Theatre Company is hosting a free monthly online Q&A exploring the work of Geese and the broader arts in criminal justice sector. Join one of Geese’s expert practitioners to find out more and ask questions about their work in criminal justice and social welfare settings.
The sessions are aimed at practitioners, artists, students and other people interested in discovering more about theatre in criminal justice from all over the world and will focus on a different theme each month.

Culture Recovery Fund Grants Webinar 3 - ACE
2021-01-18 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
The second round of the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme is now open to application until 26th January for cultural organisations based in England. To help explain the application process and give more information, Arts Council England (ACE) are holding a webinar series throughout January that will cover:

Who can apply and how much you can apply for
How the Grants programme interacts with the Repayable Finance programme (a second element of the Culture Recovery Fund Arts Council England are also administering)
Questions in the application
How to demonstrate cultural significance
How to present supporting evidence in the mandatory application templates, including cashflow
What any potential applicants can to do to prepare with some key deadlines and dates

Please note this webinar is repeated on the 12th, 14th and 18th of January.

Culture Recovery Fund Grants Webinar 2 - ACE
2021-01-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Online

Culture Recovery Fund Grants Webinar 1 - ACE
2021-01-12 18:00 - 19:00 | Online
