ARR/SCARS is an EU funded collaborative project involving prison students in Ireland, Norway and Malawi.
Prison artists were asked to choose a scar on their body, take a photo of it and tell the story of how it came to be. Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has scars, physical and unseen. The objective is to challenge stigma connected to imprisonment. Exhibiting work by prison artists can introduce diversity and inclusion into the art world.
The purpose of the Mountjoy Prison Maynooth University Partnership is to motivate prison students in their education, exploring the effect of educational processes in the classroom & to consider the potential of projects like the ARR/SCARS project to empower prison students to find their path into education and feel a sense of belonging in university.
As you attend the exhibition, the ARR/SCARS project partners and the MJMU Steering Group challenge you to unpick the concept of diversity and inclusion in the art world in the context of people with criminal justice histories and consider the potential of opportunities like this to empower people in prison who have not yet found their path into the classroom.