Women inmates at the Iloilo City District Jail are now given the opportunity to unleash their creativity through the Palangga Prison Art Project.
We wanted them to have a venue where they can express themselves and have a voice—whether in visual arts, crafts or poetry. We want this to be a holistic experience
TO release the female inmates’ artistic expressions, the Iloilo City District Jail-Female Dormitory and women artists hosted an online workshop that coincided with the celebration of Women’s Month last March.
The event called the “Palangga Prison Art Project: Triple Lockdown Showdown”, was funded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
The workshop is an evolution of the “Hilway Art: Freedom is Prison Project”, a psycho-social intervention and outreach project concocted by Ma. Rosalie “Rosa” Zerrudo, the adviser of the Fine Arts Major Organization (FAMO) at the University of San Agustin.
Back then, the original purpose of the project was to create the Inday dolls with women inmates.
Now, these projects are being held because it is a way for women inmates to release their artistic expressions through catharsis.
Iloilo women inmates create art works for healing from Manila Bulletin
Iloilo women inmates create art works for healing Manila Bulletin
This way, women will also be able to come up with a sense of peace and freedom by healing and finding meaning.
“We wanted them to have a venue where they can express themselves and have a voice—whether in visual arts, crafts or poetry. We want this to be a holistic experience,” Rosa says.
The Triple Lockdown Showdown will run until May 2021 with lectures and workshops hosted by experts and artists.
Among the masterminds are Canada-based Francie Stohner and Gelaine Santiago, Spain-based Nikki Luna, Ireland-based Ursula Schloer, Manila-based Ditta Sandico, and Cebu-based Mangharam-Siap. (EFO)
Tags: #PalanggaPrisonArtProject, #nativecrafts, #IloiloCityDistrictJail