BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – “Finding Hope Within” is the theme of a collective art exhibit on display at the Rockingham Library 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 Vermont 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.” What started as a small seed of an idea grew into a full art exhibit, including collage, poetry, drawing, and fiber art. This exhibit is now touring through Vermont, primarily displayed in public libraries.
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.
Cocurators of the exhibit are Heather Newcomb of Vermont Works for Women and John Vincent of A Revolutionary Press. Vermont 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, Vt., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit printing press which aims to spread radical and revolutionary ideas. A lot of what the press is currently doing is focused on issues of incarceration.
On Sept. 28, Rockingham Library will host a discussion circle exploring the realities of life while incarcerated, the challenges of re-entering society afterwards, and the meaningfulness of creating art during these life adjustments.
The art exhibit and the discussion are both free and open to the public. For more information, email programming@rockinghamlibrary.org, call 802-463-4270, or stop by the Rockingham Library at 65 Westminster Street in Bellows Falls, Vt.