BELLOWS FALLS-"Finding Hope Within" is the theme of a collective art exhibit on display at the Rockingham Free Public Library (RFPL) until the end of September. All of the featured artists are women currently incarcerated in Vermont's Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.
Born out of frustration during a Covid lockdown at the prison, Heather Newcomb of VT Works for Women, which is based at the facility, decided to offer a challenge to the prisoners: Create an artwork that expresses "Finding Hope Within."
The exhibit, now touring through Vermont, primarily displayed in public libraries, includes collage, poetry, drawing, and fiber art. Per the facility's regulations, art materials were limited. Artists could only sign their initials to their art, and their artwork cannot be returned to them after being publicly exhibited.
Co-curators of the exhibit are Newcomb and John Vincent of A Revolutionary Press. VT Works for Women helps women transition out of Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility into gainful employment and develop the necessary skills to live independently and to connect to the community.
A Revolutionary Press, located in Middlebury, is a nonprofit printing press whose mission, paraphrased from the Declaration of Independence and stated on its blog, includes "to print and disseminate radical & revolutionary ideals." A lot of what the Press is currently doing is focused on issues of incarceration.
On Sept. 28, RFPL will host a discussion circle exploring the realities of life while incarcerated, the challenges of re-entering society afterward, and the meaningfulness of creating art during these life adjustments.
The art exhibit and the discussion are both free. For more information, contact programming@rockinghamlibrary.org or 802-463-4270, or stop by the library at 65 Westminster St.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.