National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance

Sweatbox
2019-06-12 - 2019-09-21 | Various – UK, Various, United Kingdom
12th June – 21st September
Chichester, London, Suffolk, Manchester
From Free
Clean Break‘s Sweatbox invites you to enter the back of a prison van in which three women inside share their stories of arrival and anticipation as they are transported from court to prison, from prison to prison, from prison to court.
Written by Chloë Moss
Directed by Anna Herrmann
Booking:
12-15 June: Chichester Festival Theatre BOOK HERE
28 June: Clean Break BOOK HERE
24 August: Snape Maltings Proms BOOK HERE
19-21 September: HOME Manchester BOOK HERE

Image courtesy of Clean Break, credit Tracey Anderson

Othello: Remixed
2019-06-25 - 2019-07-14 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
25th June – 14th July
Omnibus Theatre, London
From £10
Shakespeare’s tragedy is remixed by Intermission Youth Theatre Company for Clapham’s Omnibus Theatre, breathing fresh life into the stories of Othello, Iago and Desdemona in this new production directed by Darren Raymond.
“London 2019. Championship boxer Othello has chosen Michael Cassio to be his corner man. Rejected, Iago is riven with jealousy and deceit. Desdemona is in the center of their conflict which may (or may not) lead to a calamitous end.
In an explosive mashup of language, Othello’s story is staged in a modern day London boxing ring, urgently reinventing Shakespeare’s warnings of manipulation, division and revenge.”
It’s hard to imagine anyone walking away from this production unaffected by powerful performances erupting from such unlikely ground”
The Upcoming
Book now

The young people Intermission Youth Theatre work with come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds in the Greater London area who are vulnerable, lacking in opportunity, at risk of offending or with convictions.

Image courtesy of Intermission Youth Theatre, credit Richard Jinman

Public workshops on Arts Council England's draft strategy
2019-07-03 - 2019-07-18 | Various – UK, Various, United Kingdom
3rd July – 18th July 2019
UK
Free
Arts Council England (ACE) has published its final draft 10-year strategy and is in the second phase of consultation. The final draft strategy places outcomes for people and communities centre stage and recognises the criminal justice system as a key partner in achieving its ambitious goals.
Alongside an online survey, ACE is running a series of public workshops for people from a broad range of places, backgrounds and cultural and artistic practices, to gather views on the draft strategy and on how to deliver the vision and outcomes it sets out.
Dates and booking:
North
Wed 3 July: Northern Ballet, Leeds
Thu 11 July: Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
Thu 18 July: Manchester Central, Manchester
Midlands
Wed 10 July: Curve Theatre, Leicester
Wed 17 July: The Welcome Centre, Coventry
London
Tue 9 July: Barbican, London
Mon 15 July (morning): Barbican, London
Tue 16 July (morning): Barbican, London
Wed 17 July: Barbican, London
South East
Mon 15 July (afternoon): Barbican, London
Tue 16 July (afternoon): Barbican, London
South West
Mon 8 July: Devonport Guildhall, Plymouth
Tue 9 July: Bristol Old Vic, Bristol
Thu 11 July: Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury

Image: Summer Arts College at Parc Prison YOI. Courtesy Engage Cymru, credit Pip Lewis, SpacetoCreate

The Art of Engagement
2019-07-20 - 2019-07-22 | Bristol – generic, Bristol, United Kingdom
Friday 20th July – BOOK NOW
Monday 22nd July – BOOK NOW
Bristol Old Vic
9:30am – 6pm
From £38.57 | Free for people with lived experience of homelessness
Join Cardboard Citizens at the Bristol Old Vic for a taster and an insight into its approach in how to use Forum Theatre and other Theatre of the Oppressed tools, underpinned by pastoral support, to identify barriers, overcome challenges, and engage marginalised groups.
The day will mix practical exercises, games, workshops, presentations, and reflective approaches, enabling you to learn more about Cardboard Citizens’ approach to supporting people with lived experience – a strengths-based, person-focused approach to co-production – through a balance of performing arts and pastoral support.
Find out more and book

Music in Prisons at HMP Risley
2019-07-26 | Cheshire, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Friday 26th July 2019
HMP Risley, Cheshire
10am
FREE (Registration essential)
Participants from the Irene Taylor Trust’s Music in Prisons programme at HMP Risley will perform at a one-off concert at the prison.
The concert will showcase new music created during the programme, which aims to support a group of prisoners – who may not often get the chance to engage in the arts – to form a band, generate their own original and innovative music and enable them to make positive changes in their lives.
Security checks are required and registration by Monday 15th July is essential. To register email projects@irenetaylortrust.com

Image: Courtesy of Music in Prisons, credit Lizzie Coombes

The Trial
2019-07-26 - 2019-11-03 | ireland – generic, Various, Ireland
26th July – 26th August 2019, Spike Island, Cork
29th August – 12th September 2019, Lifford Courthouse, Donegal
26th September – 3rd November 2019, Dublin Castle, Dublin
The Trial is a visual art installation on healthcare and human rights in the Irish criminal justice system, created by Sinead McCann and made in collaboration with men from the Bridge Project Dublin who have lived prison experiences.
The project accompanies research by University College Dublin historians, Catherine Cox and Fiachra Byrne for the project ‘Prisoners, Medical Care and Entitlement to Health in England and Ireland, 1850-2000’.
On multiple screens, three characters – Tommy, Charlie, Neili – tell the real life stories of those who have been held or worked in Irish penal institutions during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The Trial is produced in collaboration with Theatre of the Oppressed specialist Sarah Meaney, and Mary Caffrey and Dan Monk of Sixbetween video production company.
Find out more and book

Image courtesy of Sinead McCann & Sixbetween

Miss Represented: Mirror Mirror
2019-07-30 - 2019-08-04 | Sussex – generic, Sussex, United Kingdom
Tuesday 30th July – Sunday 4th August
10am – 6pm (Thursday 1pm – 6pm)
The Depot, Lewes
Free
See an exhibition of work by Miss Represented, a Brighton-based arts collective of young women experiencing challenging life situations.
Mirror Mirror explores image, identity, reflections and the different sides we show – on social media, in our lives, to ourselves. Using photography, sound, music and installation, Miss Represented presents an insight into the lives of young women in today’s world.
Brighton Dome and Festival’s flagship Creative Learning project, Miss Represented explores life through the arts, making powerful and thought provoking work for personal development and social change.

‘Can You See Me Now?’
Screening, live performance and Q&A
Tuesday 30th July
8pm
Pay-what-you-feel
The exhibition is accompanied by a screening of the Miss Represented documentary ‘Can You See Me Now?’ Full of hope and truth, the show documents young women’s experiences of school, social services and the care system.
The screening will be followed by live performances and a Q&A with the Miss Represented team and young women who starred in the show and film.

Find out more and book for both events here

Image courtesy of Miss Represented

A Feeling We All Share
2019-08-01 - 2019-08-31 | Suffolk, Suffolk, United Kingdom
1st – 31st August 2019
Snape Maltings, Suffolk
Free
Guided tour: 4pm, Saturday 24th August

Snape Maltings hosts an exhibition featuring a range of fine art, craft, writing and music from the region entered into the 2019 Koestler Awards for arts in criminal justice.
The exhibition is part of Re:Lease, which marks 20 years of Snape Maltings’ engagement work at local prison HMP Warren Hill.
The exhibition’s artistic direction is led by the music group at HMP Warren Hill who, working together with Snape Maltings’ team, composed three songs which lead visitors through the exhibits.
Find out more here

Image: Woman with Wooden Hair, HM Prison Peterborough. Courtesy of Koestler Arts

The Examination
2019-08-13 20:00 - 2019-08-26 21:00 (Europe/London) | edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
13th – 25th August 2019 (not 19th August)
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
8pm
From £10.50
Featuring biography, socio-political discourse and theatricality, Brokentalkers‘ new documentary theatre performance, The Examination, explores mental health and human rights in the prison system.
Performed by stand-up comedian and former prisoner Willie White, the play is the outcome of a 12-month research and creative process period in which Brokentalkers held theatre workshops and interviews with prisoners and former prisoners in various settings.
The Examination is a collaboration with Professor Catherine Cox, as part of the Wellcome Trust Award for Prisoners, Medical Care and Entitlement to Health in England and Ireland, 1850-2000, and draws on wider historical analysis undertaken by Associate Professor Catherine Cox (University College Dublin), with Professor Hilary Marland (University of Warwick).

Book now

Image courtesy of Brokentalkers and University College Dublin

Re:Lease
2019-08-24 | Suffolk, Suffolk, United Kingdom
Saturday 24th August
Snape Maltings, Suffolk
Free (some events require booking)
Snape Maltings marks 20 years’ work with its local prison, HMP Warren Hill, with a day of performances and workshops showcasing the role of music and arts in rehabilitation.
The arts centre and music venue will be joined by its national partners Koestler Arts, The Irene Taylor Trust, Clean Break and Fine Cell Work for workshops, exhibitions, performances, talks and pop-ups, to share insight into the different approaches used to engage those within the criminal justice system.
Events include:

Koestler Arts exhibition: A Feeling We All Share (runs 1st August – 31st August)
Songwriting workshop with Irene Taylor Trust
Rehabilitative retail pop-up shop
Fine Cell Work talk
Clean Break’s Sweatbox
Re:Lease music performance.

Find out more and book here

I am the Coyote
2019-08-28 - 2020-01-12 | Hull, Hull, United Kingdom
28th August 2019 – 12th January 2020
University of Hull
Free
Novus, the University of Hull and HMP Humber have collaborated on an exhibition titled I am the Coyote, which aims to show the power of art as a rehabilitation tool in prisons over 45 years.
I am the Coyote includes art produced from the Special Unit 74 and HMP Humber’s GRAFT Studio, the largest art college in the UK prison sector and a unique space where prisoners are able to focus on creativity and its benefits. Colour photographs document the group thinking and creative process as well as the experiential teaching strategies.
The exhibition has been commissioned as part of the University’s Culture Campus initiative and is on show at the Brynmor Jones Library.
Our vision is to wholeheartedly embrace provocative topics and encourage discussion and debate across our campus. This exhibition will do just that and we couldn’t be more delighted.
Marianne Lewsley-Stier, Head of Culture Campus at the University of Hull
The exhibition is accompanied by a series of free workshops, screenings and debates.

Find out more here

Image courtesy of Culture Campus, University of Hull

Recovery and the arts conference
2019-09-03 | Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
3rd September 2019
Everyman Theatre, Liverpool
Registration information

To kick-start National Recovery Month 2019, Liverpool John Moores University’s conference profiles the work of the UK arts-based recovery community.
The conference aims to provide a platform for community arts-based projects to display latest work it hopes to enable those in recovery from drugs and alcohol, to share their experiences of art-based recovery; and for academics to present and discuss their research.
It also aims to provide an opportunity for delegates to identify gaps and needs in the arts-based recovery community and develop a plan for action.
Find out more here

Call for papers
The conference invites proposals from researchers, practitioners, service providers, people in recovery etc. for papers and/or poster presentations that examine, explore, or review, current UK arts-based projects.

Abstracts for both oral presentations and posters are welcome
The deadline to submit abstracts is 31st March 2019
To submit an abstract please send a 250-word abstract, plus 100-word biography, clearly indicating if the abstract is for a poster or a presentation to recoveryandthearts@ljmu.ac.uk
Notification of acceptance will be sent via email no later than 12 April 2019.

If you wish to discuss an idea prior to submission, please email recoveryandthearts@ljmu.ac.uk

Image courtesy of Liverpool John Moores University

Reading in Prison Day 2019
2019-09-06 | Roehampton, United Kingdom
Friday 6th September 2019
University of Roehampton, London
9:45am – 5pm
Free
Prison Reading Groups and Give A Book host their annual celebration of what books can do behind bars.
Their aim this year is to share some of the brilliant reading projects in prison but also to explore and debate the obstacles on both sides – organisations trying to run reading initiatives and the prison staff who make them happen.
The day will include two panels: “Wading through porridge? Why prison reading projects work – or don’t” and “Working with words: from canteen sheets to Charles Dickens.” There will also be hands-on workshops on areas that Prison Reading Groups may want to explore: philosophy, drama, poetry, family reading, working with emergent readers, managing tricky members and moments.
Find out more and book here

Image courtesy of Prison Reading Groups

Women's Support Centre: New Beginnings Art Awards 2019
2019-09-07 08:00 - 2019-10-13 17:00 | surrey, Surrey, United Kingdom
7th September – 13th October 2019
The Lightbox, Surrey
£3
The Women’s Support Centre aims to prevent women coming into contact with the criminal justice system by promoting participation and achievement in the arts. It aims to motivate, inspire and help women to develop the skills needed to lead a more positive life.
Every year the Women’s Support Centre hosts an Art Awards for women to submit artwork from in prison or through visiting the Centre. The entries are exhibited at the Lightbox Gallery.
This theme of this year’s exhibition and Awards is ‘Journey Within’.

Find out more

Image courtesy of Women’s Support Centre Surrey and Lightbox Gallery

Clean Break’s Writers: Here. There. Then. Now.
2019-09-07 14:00 - 17:00 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
7th September 2019
Royal Court Theatre, London
2pm
From £5
For forty years Clean Break has produced plays on the complex theme of women and crime with some of Britain’s best playwrights.
A selection of these progressive artists come together to share what they have learnt from working with Clean Break, what the future holds for women playwrights and why complicated, multifaceted representations of women on our stages are more essential than ever.
Hosted by Jane Fallowfield and Paulette Randall, with guests Stacey Gregg (co-creator, Inside Bitch), Tanika Gupta (Inside Out), Sonya Hale (Blis-ta), Jacqueline Holborough (Co-Founder, Clean Break and writer of Killers), Lucy Kirkwood (it felt empty when the heart went at first but it is alright now), Tash Marshall (Clean Break Writer in Residence 2018) Winsome Pinnock (Mules), Rebecca Prichard (Yard Gal), and Somalia Seaton (House).
Find out more and book

Image courtesy of Clean Break, credit Tracey Anderson

In conversation with Edmund Clark, Roxana Allison, and Pablo Allison
2019-09-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Manchester generic, Manchester, United Kingdom
11th September 2019
6 – 8pm
International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester
From £4
Join the photography network Redeye in conversation with artists Edmund Clark, Roxana Allison, and Pablo Allison.
Each artist will be presenting their latest work and discussing the similarities and differences between their approach, style and subject matter.

About the speakers
Operation Jurassic is an eight-year-long collaborative personal photographic essay between sibling photographers Roxana Allison and Pablo Allison, depicting their emotional journey leading up to, during and after Pablo’s imprisonment in the UK for criminal damage offences.
Edmund Clark is an artist interested in linking history, politics and representation. His research-based work combines a range of references and forms including bookmaking, installations, photography, video, documents, text and found images and material. He was Ikon Gallery’s artist in residence at HMP Grendon from 2010 – 2014.

Book here

Image courtesy of Roxana and Pablo Allison

A Night in the Clink
2019-09-15 - 2019-09-25 | cardiff, Cardiff, United Kingdom
15th – 18th and 22nd – 25th September 2019
The Clink, HMP Cardiff
6pm and 7:45pm
From £20
The setting for this production is the award-winning The Clink Restaurant at HMP Cardiff. Audience members will be served tapas along with stories inspired by the people who are training as chefs and waiters as part of their prison sentence. A Night in the Clink reveals the dreams they hold for their life upon release.
The stories have emerged from a series of workshops run by theatre company Papertrail at the prison. It has been produced in partnership with Sherman Theatre.
Ticket includes performance and tapas style menu – you will be asked to specify your dietary requirements at time of or shortly after booking. Tickets for each performance must be purchased at least 3 days in advance.
Find out more and book

Image courtesy of Papertrail, credit Chris Lloyd

Koestler exhibition 2019
2019-09-19 - 2019-11-03 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
19th September – 3rd November 2019
Southbank Centre, London
FREE
Opening festival: 18th September
Koestler Arts‘ exhibition of art entered in to its annual awards continues this year at London’s Southbank Centre.
The award-winning saxophonist and MC Soweto Kinch will be curating the exhibition, following the footsteps of Antony Gormley and Benjamin Zephaniah. Soweto’s themes range from slavery and emancipation to sacred geometry.
Over 150 artworks will be on display, from music and poetry to paintings, drawings and sculpture.
Titled Another Me, the exhibition invites visitors to reassess their perceptions of people who have spent time inside.
Find out more here

The Koestler Arts is the UK’s best-known prison arts charity. Each year it encourages over 3,500 people within the criminal justice system to express themselves creatively and learn new skills by entering work to their annual Koestler Awards.

Image: The Test, HM Prison Greenock. Courtesy of Koestler Arts

Prodigal Arts and Changing Tunes exhibition
2019-09-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Bristol – generic, Bristol, United Kingdom
19th September 2019
Alchemy 198, Bristol
Free
Prodigal Arts invites you to a private view of high-quality original artwork, prints and cards for sale, produced by prisoners from HMP Leyhill Prison.
The night also features Changing Tunes, a charity that uses music and mentoring to help people lead meaningful lives, free from crime. Changing Tunes will be playing background music during the private view as well as a short performance and explanation of their work in prisons and in the community.

A complimentary glass of wine on arrival and light refreshments will be provided.

Book here

Image courtesy of Prodigal Arts

HMPPS grant programme information events
2019-09-24 - 2019-10-01 | York, Cardiff, London, York, Cardiff, London, United Kingdom
24th September, York
26th September, Cardiff
1st October, London
Free
HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is shortly launching its next grant funding programme for 2020-2022. Clinks and HMPPS are holding three information events to provide further details on the grant programme to voluntary organisations who may wish to apply.
The grant programme aims to enable the voluntary sector to contribute to better outcomes for people in public sector prisons, the National Probation Service and youth custody services. The events would therefore be suitable for organisations working in these areas.
The information events will provide an overview of the grant programme; information on evidencing outcomes; how Clinks can support voluntary organisations; the procurement process; equalities; and a Q&A.
Due to the anticipated demand, tickets will initially be limited to one person per organisation. Please check with your organisation prior to booking.

Book here

Image: NCJAA annual conference 2017

I’d Rather Go Blind
2019-10-01 19:30 - 2019-10-05 22:00 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
1st – 5th October 2019
Omnibus Theatre, London
7:30pm
From £13
Futures Theatre presents I’d Rather Go Blind, a new play by Somalia Seaton shaped by the stories of women who all have lived experience of the criminal justice system. It presents a poignant insight into the fear around motherhood.
I see you strong, I see you spinning on your own axis – full of life – full of joy. I see you like me when I turned 18 – unfiltered – ready to conquer the world head held high – heart strong – I see you growing everyday.”
An Alternative Life
The play is the third commission from Futures Theatre’s creative engagement project An Alternative Life 2015 – 2017.
During 2017, the theatre worked in partnership with The Beth Centre in Lambeth, London, with women who all have lived experience of the criminal justice system. They commissioned playwright Somalia Seaton to write a play informed by their challenges and their dreams.
I’d Rather Go Blind is the result and is produced in celebration of these extraordinary women.
Find out more and book

Image courtesy of Futures Theatre, credit Desk Tidy Design

Clean Break's New Work Showcase
2019-10-04 15:00 - 17:00 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
4th October 2019, 3pm
£5
Bunker Theatre, London
Clean Break is opening its doors to offer you the chance to see two of its new works in development.
The afternoon will consist of two script-in-hand readings, Blis-ta by Sonya Hale and Not Pretty Like The Rainbow by Daisy King.
Each play is the culmination of a commission awarded by Clean Break to writers who have previously been engaged with the women and criminal justice theatre company as Members for many years, and a chance for them to continue conversations and to start new ones.

Book here

Image courtesy of Clean Break

Koestler Arts at Southbank Centre in October
2019-10-05 - 2019-10-24 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
Koestler Arts presents a series of events to coincide with its annual exhibition at Southbank Centre, this year titled Another Me. All events are free to attend unless otherwise stated.

Voices Out Loud
Saturday 5th, Sunday 13th October
Actors from Synergy Theatre Project, with lived experience of the criminal justice system, perform texts by Koestler Awards entrants.
Koestler Curates: Friday Lunch
Friday 11th October
The Irene Taylor Trust has been running its through the gate programme, Sounding Out, since 2012. The Pinnacle – the fourth band formed on the programme – will perform some of their original tracks live.
Koestler Curates: Friday Lunch
Friday 1st November
The Liberty Choir, a community choir made up of those with lived experience of the criminal justice system and those without, will perform live. The choir runs programmes in prisons, engaging prisoners in the power of singing together.
Story Circle
Thursday 24 October
Improvise a collective story as part of a story circle in the exhibition space at Another Me. In collaboration with Hammersmith and Fulham Libraries, storyteller Richard Neville has been trialling story-making sessions with groups including prisoners.
Voices from Prison
Thursday 24th October (£8)
Hear powerful performances of written and recorded works entered into the 2019 Koestler Awards for artwork made by people in prison. Hosted by spoken word artist and Koestler Awards judge Wanda Canton.

Find out more and book here

Image: Reinforcements, HM Prison Standford Hill (Sheppey Cluster), Needlecraft, 2019, courtesy of Koestler Arts

On Hold
2019-10-06 - 2019-10-07 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
6th – 7th October 2019
Camden People’s Theatre, London
Pay what you can
Presented by Tale Be Told Theatre, On Hold is a take on the housing crisis from the viewpoint of families living in temporary accommodation.
Brought to Camden People’s Theatre as part of the One Festival of Homeless Arts, and performed in the round, the show combines personal accounts from the cast with verbatim testimony from families living in temporary accommodation.
These are broken up by moments of clowning and surrealism, echoing the hoops families must go through as they have their lives put ‘on hold’.
This darkly comic play aims to lift the lid on what it means not to have a home to call your own and reveal the human truth behind the statistics of the housing crisis.

Book here

Image courtesy of Tale Be Told Theatre

Playing the Game
2019-10-09 - 2019-10-10 | Birmingham – Generic, Birmingham, United Kingdom
9th – 10th October 2019
Birmingham Rep
From £10
Geese Theatre Company and Helena Enright present Playing The Game, a theatre of testimony play created as part of a Wellcome Trust-funded research project with the University of Warwick.
It uses material from a series of drama workshops and interviews conducted with residents and staff at HMP Peterborough alongside archival materials and testimonies from the past.
This production is part of BEDLAM Festival, a celebration of the arts, mental health and wellbeing.
Find out more and book here

Image courtesy of Geese Theatre Company

Readings of 2019 Koestler Award-winning plays
2019-10-09 14:30 - 16:30 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
Wednesday 9th October
2.30pm
Royal Court Theatre, London
Free
Synergy Theatre Project seeks out new plays written by prisoners and ex-prisoners. The charity will be showcasing extracts from three plays written by writers in prisons from across the UK in a special event at The Royal Court Theatre.
The plays being read out won this year’s Koestler Arts Awards, and were judged by a panel of theatre professionals and ex-prisoners.
This event is free but can only booked, subject to availability, directly through Synergy. To attend, email studio@synergytheatreproject.co.uk including ‘Koestler Arts Awards event’ in the subject line and provide your name, a contact telephone number and the number of seats you would like. Synergy will reply to confirm if your request has been successful.

Image courtesy of Synergy Theatre Project

Learning Social – Arts in Prison
2019-10-14 17:00 - 19:00 | Birmingham – Generic, Birmingham, United Kingdom
14th October 2019
5 – 7pm
Ikon Gallery, Birmingham
£3
Artist Lisa Selby and speaker Elliot Murawski confront issues of addiction, mental health and incarceration through the Instagram account @bluebaglife, while Sarah McNally, Youth Programme Coordinator at the Hepworth Wakefield, shares experiences of working between youth offending and gallery spaces.
The session is chaired by Dr Dean Kelland, Ikon’s Artist in Residence at HMP Grendon. Supported by the Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust.

Book here

Image courtesy of Ikon Gallery and Koestler Arts

François Matarasso: A space to think
2019-10-15 18:30 - 21:00 | London – Generic, London, United Kingdom
Anne Peaker lecture 2019
Tuesday 15th October 2019
6:30 – 9pm
London
£10
Book here
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 National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance today.
This year, keynote speaker François Matarasso will consider the historical context of participatory arts in criminal justice settings and Anne Peaker’s contribution to this. He will go on to consider art’s capacity for the kind of reflection that helps individuals grow, and make the case for its importance in terms of human rights and power.
The event will include spoken word performances from Lady Unchained and Jason Smith, and an exhibition of a photography project at HMP Whitemoor.
François’ lecture will be followed by a Q&A and networking drinks from 8-9pm.

About the speaker:
François Matarasso is a community artist whose work embraces creative projects, research and writing. His latest book A Restless Art: How participation won, and why it matters (2019) gives an extensive account of the theory, history and practice of community art in Europe and combines decades of first-hand experience with new research and many project descriptions. François lives in Britain and has experience of work in many European countries.

Image courtesy of François Matarasso

Jadek
2019-10-16 - 2019-12-04 | Various – UK, Various, United Kingdom
16th October – 4th December 2019
UK tour
From £6
Yorkshire-based theatre company Imagine If is bringing its new production, Jadek, to theatres and prisons across the country.
The play is based on the true story of when a working-class woman from Yorkshire moved in with her blind, Polish, 94-year-old Grandad and explores how this unexpected turn of events affected both of their lives.
Free tickets are available for people with lived experience of the criminal justice system and the company is available for prison bookings. For more information please email tamsin@imagineiftheatre.co.uk

Dates and booking

York Theatre Royal – 16th of October, 7.45pm
Polish Social Centre, Bury – 20th of October, 2pm
Derby Theatre – 2nd of November, 5pm
Stephen Joseph, Scarborough – 6th of November, 7.45pm
Shoebox Theatre, Swindon – 8th of November, 7.30pm
CAST Doncaster– 12th of November, 7.15pm
Theatre Deli, Sheffield – 14th of November, 7.45pm
Slung Low, Leeds – 17th of November, 5pm
Square Chapel, Halifax – 21st of November, 8pm
Henshaws, Knaresborough – 22nd of November, 7.30pm
Touchstones, Rochdale – 29th of November, 7.30pm
Barnsley Civic – 4th of December, 7.30pm

Image courtesy of Imagine If

Novus at Tate Liverpool
2019-10-28 - 2019-11-03 | Liverpool – generic, Liverpool, United Kingdom
28th October – 3rd November 2019
Tate Liverpool
Free
Creative art pieces produced by men from five prisons across the North West and North Wales will be presented in Tate Exchange at Tate Liverpool.
Men taking part in the Novus Family Learning programmes have worked with artist Denise Wright to explore artistic techniques and processes, taking inspiration from the Keith Haring exhibition at Tate Liverpool.
Sustaining strong family relationships while in prison can play an important role in rehabilitation. The aim of the project is to reduce the impact of separation and isolation that families often face.
The project is presented by social enterprise, Novus, who deliver education, training and employment opportunities to men, women and young people in over 50 UK prisons. This is the third project that has been displayed at Tate Exchange as part of an ongoing partnership between Novus and Tate Liverpool.
Tate Exchange, now in its third year at Tate Liverpool, explores how art makes a difference in society. It is an open experiment and ongoing programme of residencies and events developed by artists, practitioners, and Associates, both within and beyond the arts sector. The aim is to build a dialogue around art, society, and the wider issues facing us today.

Image courtesy of Novus
