Fork in the Road
Melissa Dvozenja-Thomas, Interim Executive Director, Arts Mid-Hudson
Every day we make choices. Decisions that can seem small until we look back and realize they were pivotal moments leading to the current direction of our life. These decisions were all forks in the road. Through April 29, visitors can go to Stone Ridge Library to see Fork in the Road, an exhibition featuring artwork by incarcerated individuals presented by Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA).
Founded at Sing Sing in 1996, RTA helps people in prison develop critical life skills through the arts, modeling an approach based on human dignity rather than punishment. The RTA model provides an intensive and comprehensive arts program that builds a sense of community, accountability and develops critical life skills so incarcerated participants can meet the challenges of connecting with family and community when released.
The concept of this exhibition was the vision of incarcerated participants of RTA’s visual arts program. It is a moment or decision in life when a choice must be made that has a rippling effect into the future. The exhibition features 27 pieces of art from 18 artists from three correctional facilities in New York State: Bedford Hills (women’s maximum security); Green Haven (men’s maximum security) and Woodbourne (men’s medium security). The artwork was created in classes taught by RTA teaching artists Angela Tornello and Claire Wasserman, who also curated the exhibition.
The artwork can be found throughout the library. Although there is the common theme of “fork in the road,” the works are diverse in imagery and meaning.
“Some of the artists in the exhibit didn’t know they had this ability until they took a class with RTA,” Wasserman says. “One of the wonderful things about this program is that, when they close the door, they are in a classroom and removed from their current situation and they get to work on a skill.”
The Inner Struggle by Joseph, depicts a tree with the coloring split in half. One side shows a tree of winter, stripped of color and life while the other side is flourishing, bright and colorful. On the bottom third of the piece the viewer can see below ground to the roots of the tree. The roots are filled with names and words including family, respect, self worth and love. The viewer can immediately feel the inner struggle of knowing what has happened in the past and wanting a better future.
Brenda created a mixed media piece called Roads We Face. This abstract work represents the many choices there are in life. There Seems to be Hope by Elisha was created with coffee and watercolor. This piece is separated into four sections but comes together as one image. Silhouettes all looking toward the horizon line where a rainbow road trails off into the distance. It portrays both moments of confinement and separation, as well as the hope of reconnection.
These artists use their work as a voice to show what they are missing or what they have learned. Each piece reflects on the past, where the artists find themselves right now and what they are thinking about for the future. This exhibit is supported in part by the NoVo Foundation and Arts Mid-Hudson through the Ulster County Cultural Services and Promotion Fund.
If you go:
Fork in the Road
Open through April 29, 2023
Public Reception: Saturday, April 1, 2023, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Stone Ridge Library, 3700 Main Street, Stone Ridge, NY 12484
www.stoneridgelibrary.org
