A Review of Two Conferences: The Head and the Heart of Arts in Prisons

Authors

  • Sarah Woodland Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre, Griffith University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18432/ari29412

Keywords:

carceral studies, Shakespeare in prisons, arts in corrections, prison theatre, applied theatre

Abstract

This is a comparative review of two conferences held in North America in March of 2018. Carceral Cultures was presented by the Canadian Association of Cultural Studies at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, from March 1-4. The purpose of the conference was to bring together cultural theorists, practitioners and activists to contemplate the carceral. The Shakespeare in Prisons Conference was presented by the Shakespeare in Prisons Network at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, from March 22-25. The focus of this conference was to bring together artists and theorists who work in the field of arts in corrections, not limited to the works of the Bard. As a sometime practitioner-researcher of Prison Theatre I have found it interesting to compare the two conferences in terms of how each appealed to my head (cognition), and to my heart (affect), in engaging with the politics and aesthetics of arts in prisons. The conferences were divergent in so many ways, and yet now converge in my mind to deepen my understanding of the work that I do, and strengthen my resolve to continue resisting the broken (in)justice system through art-research-activism.

Author Biography

Sarah Woodland, Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre, Griffith University

Sarah Woodland is a researcher, practitioner, and educator specializing in socially engaged arts, theatre and performance. She has over 20 years of experience in the arts and cultural sectors in Australia and the UK, with a particular focus on applied theatre, prison theatre, and community arts and cultural development.

References

Canadian Association of Cultural Studies. 2018. Carceral Cultures. http://www.carceralculturesconference2018.ca/. Accessed 17/05/2018.

Cahill, H. 2010. Re-thinking the Fiction–Reality Boundary: Investigating the Use of Drama in HIV Prevention Projects in Vietnam. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 15(2): 155-174. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569781003700052

Jeffers, A. 2008. Dirty Truth: Personal Narrative, Victimhood and Participatory Theatre Work with People Seeking Asylum. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 13(2), 217-221. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569780802054919

Old Globe Theater. 2018. Shakespeare in Prisons. https://www.theoldglobe.org/edp-pages/2018/shakespeare-in-prisons-conference/#?startDate=2018-05-01&?endDate=2018-05-31. Accessed 17/05/2018

Pensalfini, R. 2016. Prison Shakespeare: For These Deep Shames and Great Indignities. New York, NY: Springer.

Peterson, S. J. 2017. All Day: A Year of Love and Survival Teaching Incarcerated Kids at Rikers Island. New York/Nashville: Center Street.

Cover image by John Rae, No limit, 76 X 56 cm acrylic and collage

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Published

2018-09-15

How to Cite

Woodland, S. (2018). A Review of Two Conferences: The Head and the Heart of Arts in Prisons. Art/Research/International:/A/Transdisciplinary/Journal, 3(2), 364–372. https://doi.org/10.18432/ari29412

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2018): Art/Research International: A Transdisciplinary Journal

Section

Art/Research Reviews

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Copyright (c) 2018 Art/Research International: A Transdisciplinary Journal

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