ORIGINALLY WRITTEN
Goessel High School announces an unusual Art Exhibit for the month of February in the Emil Kym Art Gallery.
Titled, “Unchained Spirits,” it is an exhibit of prison inmate artwork from Hutchinson Correctional Facility. It features mostly acrylic paintings.
The exhibit stems from a class taken by GHS art instructor Brian Stucky last summer on “Crime and Punishment from a Teacher’s Perspective.”
When Stucky’s class visited HCF, he made contacts with officials there that led to the idea of an exhibit in Goessel High School.
“I knew of prison arts programs where college professors teach poetry, drama, and choral music to touch the soul and change lives of the inmates in a way that other methods cannot,” Stucky said.
“Some Bethel College professors have participated in these efforts, and I know the coordinator of the program up at Lansing. The question is, if a prisoner is released back into society, what kind of person will be your neighbor someday? Has there been any rehabili- tation at all? Prison arts programs take a positive step in the right direction, and we wanted to be a small part of that.”
Stucky is also anxious to gauge the reaction of Goessel High and Junior High students.
“I want them to see what kind of artwork happens when your freedom is taken away from you,” he said. “Does the creative spirit stop because you are behind bars?”
The exhibit will be up from Feb. 3 through Feb. 24. Hours are 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For more information, Stucky can be reached at Goessel High School by calling 620-367-4722.
