Arts Access AotearoaArtwork by 21 people with experience of incarceration, on display at a booth organised by Arts Access Aotearoa, received “high praise” from delegates at the inaugural International Research in Corrections Conference in Auckland from 2 to 5 March.
Neil Wallace, Kaiwhakahuri Hurihanga Arts and Justice Advisor at Arts Access Aotearoa, supervised a booth in the venue foyer with rāranga artist Deborah Phillips. Along with the artwork, two publications – “Te ara ki runga The path upwards” and “Wahine inside” – also attracted positive feedback.
More than 250 delegates from New Zealand and internationally, including researchers, practitioners, policymakers and people with experience of incarceration, attended the four-day conference.
Booths showcase artwork
It was hosted by the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) and Ara Poutama Aotearoa Department of Corrections, which contracts Arts Access Aotearoa to provide an arts advisory service.
Arts Access Aotearoa and tertiary institution The Learning Connexion had booths in the foyer of the conference venue displaying artwork throughout the conference. Based in the Hutt Valley, The Learning Connexion delivers distance-learning study in art and creativity to all but one of the prisons around the country.
“The work on display reflected commitment, discipline and growth,” Neil says. “It also reflected people’s capacity to contribute positively.
“We made a heap of strong, international contacts at the conference. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with supporters of arts in correctional settings; learn what other countries are doing in this space; and how we can support each other in this mahi.”
“Arts programmes in prisons: the desistance journey”
A highlight for Neil was a presentation by Fiona Conlon, Principal Research Advisor at Ara Poutama Aotearoa, called “Arts programmes in prisons: the desistance journey”.
The presentation featured the research findings of The Creative Arts and Cultural Wellbeing Prison Initiative, a partnership between Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage and Ara Poutama Aotearoa.
Delivered over three years from 2022/23 to 2024/2025, the Initiative supported 14 arts programmes in 17 prisons. An evaluation of the Initiative showed strong evidence that arts programmes delivered in prisons contribute positively to the wellbeing, cultural identity and pro-social behaviour of participants.
“Fiona’s presentation affirmed the value of arts programmes in prisons,” Neil says. “It recognised that our collective mahi in this space deserves a place at the table when we talk about desistance and pathways to positive life.”
Arts have valid place in evidence-based discussions
Presenting artwork at a research-focused conference signalled that arts programmes in prisons have a valid place in evidence-based discussions, Neil says.
“Research is essential and here in Aotearoa, we are building a body of research to complement what’s available overseas. At the conference, the arts were part of a wider conversation about what supports rehabilitation and safer communities.”
The conference theme was “What Works in Corrections: Research Driving Safe Environments, Rehabilitation and Reintegration”.
“If we’re serious about understanding what works in correctional settings, we need to consider the full range of evidence,” Neil says. “This includes the outcomes we see through sustained engagement in arts programmes.”
In addition to the display booths, Arts Access Aotearoa hosted a special screening of “Sing Sing”, a feature film centred on an effective theatre programme inside the maximum-security Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York state.
The event included a short panel discussion, facilitated by Neil Wallace and including Deborah Phillips (rāranga artist), Mark Lang (whakairo artist), Dr Pooneh Torabian (Otago University), and Zak Devey (Youth Arts New Zealand).
