“Unconfined Creativity: Works from the Crossroads Prison Art Project”
and
“Imagine That! Artworks from the Glass and Pottery Studios”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FORT MYERS, Fla. (August 12, 2022) – In partnership with The Village Church at Shell Point Retirement Community, Tribby Arts Center is presenting “Unconfined Creativity: Works from the Crossroads Prison Art Project” from Friday, September 9 through Saturday, October 22.
A collection of more than 100 art pieces created by incarcerated men and women, the “Unconfined Creativity” exhibition in the Tribby’s Shell Point Galleryfeatures works collected over nearly two decades by Crossroads Prison Ministries, a correspondence Bible study program that serves 29,000 incarcerated men and women annually throughout the United States.
“To create these works, the imprisoned artists used whatever they could find, including discarded paper, thread, string, Styrofoam, and more,” said Marge Lee, Tribby Arts Center resident curator. “The reward of this exhibition lies in looking beyond artistic merit and medium to see its message: Faith and creativity can provide the strength to survive in difficult surroundings and the courage to change the direction of the path that led there.”
The Crossroads Prison Art Project began more than two decades ago after students sent gifts of artwork to the organization in gratitude for the organization’s services. The collection grew over the years to include a broad range of mediums and themes. Crossroads shares the work with the public in special showings a few times each year, with the Tribby exhibition being the largest art show in its history.
The Tribby exhibition will also be an opportunity to debut several new pieces highlighting figures from the Bible who were arrested and imprisoned, including Samson, Daniel, Paul, John the Baptist and Jesus.
“Most of these artists began creating art after they were imprisoned and are self-taught,” said Lee.“So, the objects in this exhibition range from very simple creative expressions to those that show significant natural ability.”
Eliezer Yeong, the Crossroads Prison Art Project Coordinator, is the featured speaker at the Shell Point Academy of Lifelong Learning lecture at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9 in Connie Brown Hall in the Tribby Arts Center. Yeong’s presentation is free and open to the public; an RSVP is required by calling the Tribby Box Office at 239-415-5667.
“This opportunity means so much to men and women in our program because it not only showcases their God-given talents in a setting that previously seemed unattainable, but it allows our artists to recognize that they are more than just their prison ID numbers and that their worth is not summarized by the crimes they have committed,” said Yeong.
To learn more about Crossroads Prison Art Project, visit prisonartproject.org.
In addition to the “Unconfined Creativity” exhibition, Tribby Arts Center will also present, in its Legacy and Overlook Galleries, “Imagine That! Artworks by the Glass and Pottery Studios.” This exhibition will be a visual feast as members of the Shell Point Glass and Pottery Studios create and display artworks they have imagined. The exhibition will present nearly 70 works of art produced by the most highly skilled, experienced artists at Shell Point as well as those created from residents just beginning to learn their artistic skills. All works in this beautiful display of three-dimensional objects have been produced in the Glass and Pottery Studios of Tribby Arts Center.
The Shell Point, Legacy, and Overlook Galleries and the Serendipity Gift Shop are open free of charge from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Tribby Arts Center is located at 17281 On Par Boulevard in Fort Myers. For more information about the galleries, events and performances, visit TribbyArtsCenter.com or call 239-415-5667.
About Shell Point
Shell Point Retirement Community is located along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, Florida, just two miles before Sanibel Island. Shell Point’s unparalleled lifestyle offers a championship 18-hole golf course with an elegantly appointed clubhouse, free boat docks with deep-water access to the Gulf of Mexico, coastal-inspired restaurants and charming outdoor cafes, luxurious salon and spas, fitness centers, tennis and pickleball, and miles of scenic walking and bike trails.
A nationally recognized leader in the retirement industry, Shell Point is the largest single-site continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Florida and the second largest in the country with 2,500 residents and more than 1,200 employees. For further information, visit www.shellpoint.org or call 1-800-780-1131.
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IMAGES FROM “UNCONFINED CREATIVITY”
IMAGES FROM “IMAGINE THAT! Artworks by the Shell Point Glass and Pottery Studios.”
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Shell Point Retirement Community: Kara Hado
karahado@shellpoint.org; 239-454-8245; cell 239-310-1115
Resident Curator: Marge Lee
cell 570-814-5586
Crossroads Prison Ministry: Anne Hamming
ahamming@cpministries.org; cell 269-967-7548
