Albany Regional Prison brings prisoners’ vibrant works to Vancouver Arts Centre for second annual exhibition

The second annual Albany Regional Prison art exhibition kicked off at Vancouver Arts Centre last week, drawing a crowd for a first look at the impressive collection of artworks.

Menang elder Averil Dean performed the welcome to country, saying she was overjoyed to see so many people at the exhibition’s opening on Friday, which she said was close to her heart after more than a decade working in the prison.

“I worked at the prison for something like 14 years and when I first arrived I was thinking ‘what the hell am I doing? she said.

“This is not where I’m supposed to be’, because up until that point, I had thought prison was very straightforward.

“But once I got there, I saw a very different thing. I saw how much love there was in the prison and trust, and I got to really enjoy being part of the prison life and I looked forward to every visit out there to talk to the boys there.

“I became aunty, grandmother and even mum to some, and I stand here with pride to say our boys, our young men, our old men, they can do great things with their lives if they put their mind to it.”

Assistant Superintendent of Offender Services Anthony Harding, and Albany Regional Prison arts co-ordinator Brad Gilbert also addressed the crowd, sharing the benefits of art for prisoners, and the effect creating art can have on the trajectory of their lives after incarceration.

This year’s exhibition runs at Vancouver Arts Centre until December 9 and includes more than 40 pieces of art by 15 prisoners at Albany Regional Prison.

Themes of landscape, symbolism and cultural heritage run strongly throughout the exhibited collection, with many Indigenous prisoners choosing traditional dot painting styles in vivid patterns and colours.

Many of the works are up for sale, and Albany Regional Prison’s prisoner education manager said more than half of last year’s exhibited artworks were sold.