One day, while perusing the morning headlines, my eyes fastened on a title referring to art and the Guantanamo Bay prison. Such a dark place for a variety of reasons, it was surprising to think there could ever be found a connection with art. Yet, somehow, some way, over the years, art classes were formed and detainees were allowed to participate. Currently, John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City is sponsoring some of these works of art in their President’s Gallery.

It is a remarkable story of how art became an avenue through which people entered and are entering into some measure of light, hope and redemptive freedom. It is a story that also reminds me of how all five physical senses as well as the depths of human emotion are employed in the creation and the experience of art. Ultimately, it is a story that has invited me to ponder anew what it means to allow others the freedom and opportunity to become more, to redefine possibility, to seek meaning and purpose beyond the past, to journey into a new season of life.

Click Exhibition to see the paintings. Guardian article ‘I can get my soul out of prison’: the art made by Guantánamo detainees’ 

Mary

Photo by Cole Patrick on Unsplash