An inmate draws at the ‘Art for All’ camp hosted by the Corrections Department and the Art for All Foundation launched yesterday.

The camp's activities are aimed at relieving the frustration of prison-life and include acting, poetry and song-writing sessions conducted by professional artists.

The five-day camp hosted by the Corrections Department and the Art for All Foundation is part of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn's initiation to train prisoners in the arts.

Male and female inmates, who were selected due to their interest in art, gathered at the prison's zone five to join in the various activities. Classes included watercolour painting, sculpture, cartoon illustration, and poetry appreciation and composition.

The department's director-general Nathee Chitsawang said participants in the first camp had benefited from the calming influence of the activities and many discovering they had artistic potential. "Before, they were more prone to violence," Nathee said. "We had no idea they'd be able to draw so well. It's like digging up their gentle side," he added. Twenty inmates from the initial "Art for All" camp are attending this week's camp to hone their skills and give the programme a sense of continuity.

Prisoners have also been taking Dhamma instruction from renowned Buddhist nun Sansanee Sthirasuta in preparation for another project slated for June 1 to 9, which aims to have 60,000 prisoners nationwide practising Dhamma, Nathee said.

The project's chief Channarong Pornrungroj, dean of Chulalongkorn University's Fine and Applied Arts Faculty, has added a musical aspect to this year's camp by including songs penned by a participant in the first camp.

The inmate, a 42-year-old sex offender and former music teacher, said his lyrics express regret for his crime. "I believe music can calm the soul, focus the mind and help us be more rational," he added.

 He said it took the inmates a few days to get the hang of the first art camp. "For the first few days it was hard to get motivated, but we soon did because the camp not only taught art skills but also lessons about how to be at peace with our past," he explained.

He also said he hoped to put what he learned from the art camps to use when he is released.

Channarong said artistic activities offered disadvantaged individuals a chance to develop skills and become more focussed and calmer. "Some are serving 10 years or more in jail, or even serving life sentences. This Art for All project gives them a chance," he said. 

Onnida Aditapsatit

The Nation