An example of the tenacity of human spirit has been tucked away in a corner of the Blue Hill Library. Library patrons can be forgiven if they missed it, a tiny display of paintings and collages amid shelves of equally worthy books, sculptures, and other works of art. But those who found the small collection and knew its story had the opportunity to witness something as bright and redemptive as spring.
The paintings are the work of female residents at the Hancock County Jail, produced in an art class organized by Volunteers for Hancock County Jail Residents and jail chief sergeant Flo Pelkey. Over the years, the volunteer organization and Pelkey have collaborated on classes to make residents’ stay at the jail both bearable and constructive (WWF July 06). These paintings prove such classes succeed.
Although my college art teacher would have a fit reading this, I feel art sometimes must be put into context to be fully appreciated. The paintings are striking at first glance, but they reveal deeper beauty when the circumstances in which they were created become known. Subject matter for the paintings is generally cheery and in the open air, including sunflowers, seascapes, meadows and scarecrows. It’s clear the paintings’ subjects are modeled from photos or taken from imagination, because the artists’ immediate surroundings and circumstances are unfailingly grim.
These women spend most of their time together in one large dormitory room with little privacy. The walls that surround them are institutionally-colored, the décor metal and concrete. They are detached from their family and friends because they are being punished by society for wrongdoing. Some are awaiting court dates that bring longer prison sentences. Many suffering from chemical dependency are in various stages of withdrawal. A few are mothers in danger of losing custody of their children. Neither the present nor the immediate future is enviable for any of them.
Yet these paintings, with one exception, are bright, optimistic, and full of life. Even the exception, a vivid painting of the grim reaper set in the backdrop of a full moon, has a zest one can appreciate. The moon is inviting, despite death standing in its center, and one can almost feel the fresh evening air. It helps that the grim reaper seems to be giving a jaunty wave, too.
It’s interesting to note that almost all paintings portraying the physical world portray the world outside. Notes from the Inside, the annual collection of poetry and essays written by Hancock County jail residents, focuses inwardly on jail life, drug addiction and the pain of being apart from family. In contrast, these paintings seem to take the artists’ souls on a journey far away from the jail’s four walls and any internal prisons to idyllic, wild places where they can be free.
The result for viewers is a celebration of life, a vivid reminder of the freedom that we outside the jail system take for granted, and a call to enjoy beauty for those who cannot.
If you missed this display, a larger exhibit including the work of both male and female jail residents will be at the Grand Auditorium in Ellsworth this June.