WTVM.com and WTVM News Leader 9, Columbus, GA | Art project for prisoners receives funding

Art project for prisoners receives funding

Aug. 27, 2008

AUBURN, Ala. (WTVM) - The debate on whether prisoners should be granted certain rights continues. Prisoners in East Alabama will benefit from recent a  grant awarded to an Auburn University project that teaches art to prisoners.

It's hard to imagine anything beautiful coming out of a prison, but an outreach project facilitated by Auburn University is teaching art to prisoners. Kyes Stevens is the director of The Prison Arts and Education Project. Poetry, drawing, and photography are just a few of the classes offered once a week over a 12 week span.

"The number of classes we offer is dependent on the funding we get," Kyes Stevens, project director said. Thanks to a recent $14,000 grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the project will now be able to teach Alabama more classes. "We have a huge amount of support from the Alabama Department of Corrections," Stevens said.

At least 17 prison wardens have welcomed the Alabama Prison Arts and Education Project into their community, but Stevens says she has received some resistance from the public. "Our organization is in no shape, form, or fashion intending to offend victims or victims rights organizations," she said.

Even many who aren't victims, feel prisoners shouldn't have the right to education. "95 % of Alabama's prison population will be released, do you want them coming back into the community feeling like they can be a part of the community or do you want them coming out embittered," Stevens asked.

Regardless of an ongoing debate concerning the rights of prisoners, at some prisons in Alabama - a fresh start is just a masterpiece away. "One individual in particular is making his living as an artist," Stevens said. "We hope that we had a small part to play in making him realize he could do that," Stevens added.