Whitley Gallery Opening Reception
Monday, September 28th, 2009Opportunity
Attend the Whitley Gallery Openin Reception on October 2, 2009 from 6-9 pm.
Information
The mission of the Whitley Gallery is to showcase juvenile and adult inmate art and art by other individuals with themes relevant to criminal justice. We are offering a rehabilitative platform to inmates by providing an outlet for the creation of their artwork and expressive thought. Many inmates have grown up with a history of poverty, abuse, violence, rejection, and addiction. While they are incarcerated, they are often in a restrictive, overcrowded, oppressive and humiliating environment. We are painfully aware when inmates have no hope, no goals, and no activities to keep them occupied or focused on constructive thoughts, fights are initiated and disciplinary problems plague the facility. This results in other inmates, deputies, and correctional officers being placed in danger. This counter-productivity can be resolved by creating a venue where their artistic expression and thought can be shared with society and result in the potential to contribute monetarily to their families, victims, and the courts while incarcerated. The Whitley Gallery aims to go beyond our physical address and produce a positive impact on the behavior and the orderly running of a facility and contribute to individuals achieving a smoother reintegration into society.
In addition to assisting inmate reintegration after their release, another goal of The Whitley Gallery is to provide individuals that are not incarcerated with an otherwise unavailable opportunity to show their artwork in a gallery, such as students.
The Whitley Gallery . 27. N. 17th Street . Richmond, VA 2321
