Creativity behind bars: Hastings event to showcase prison arts programmes

Arts In Corrections Advisor Neil Wallace, right, with an Ara Poutama Aotearoa staff member showcases artwork inside Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison.

Artworks created inside and inspired by Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison will be in the spotlight next week, as a new Hastings event explores how creativity can transform lives, inside and outside the wire.

The evening gathering, hosted by Arts Access Aotearoa in partnership with Ara Poutama Aotearoa (Department of Corrections) and Arts Inc Heretaunga aims to create a bridge between the creative work happening within Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison and the wider arts community.

“Creativity opens doors to learning, confidence, and community,” Richard Benge, executive director of Arts Access Aotearoa says.

“Our Arts in Corrections Network is about connection, between the people and organisations who see the arts as a powerful tool for rehabilitation and social change.”

Among the speakers will be artists, prison staff, and a former inmate, who took part in the Arts in Corrections programme, who will share how art has helped reshape her life since release.

Neil Wallace, Arts in Corrections advisor, says the event is designed to spark collaboration, and inspire new local partnerships.

“There’s incredible creative mahi happening in Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison.

“This event is about opening that story to the wider arts community, so local artists, creatives, and organisations can see how they might contribute or connect,” Wallace says.

The occasion will also model how communities around Aotearoa can activate similar local gatherings to strengthen understanding and participation in the Arts in Corrections Network.

The free event will be held on Tuesday from 6pm to 8pm at the Hastings Arts Centre, and is open to anyone interested in arts, community engagement, or rehabilitation through creativity.