Art That Serves, Inc
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Mission Statement
ATS trains artists to work specifically with incarcerated populations both in-person as well as virtually through tablet and computer based Learning Management Systems (LMS). Our goal is to provide the incarcerated with consistent access to genuinely rehabilitative experiences during their time spent inside a correctional facility. We believe that art has both academic as well as therapeutic value and that our programs should facilitate both healing as well as learning. ATS also hosts community performances and creates content reflecting the experiences of those behind the walls. We believe that educating the public about the conditions that lead to incarceration is critical to our mission of healing both the individual and the whole.
About This Cause
Healing Through The Arts “The degree of civilization in society can be determined by entering its prisons.” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky WHO WE ARE Inspired by recording artist Matt Butler’s cross-country journey performing in jails and prisons, Art That Serves is building a grassroots network of artists and educators and training them to deliver their own unique arts programming to incarcerated populations in their local communities. Our artists utilize the universal languages of music and storytelling to create a therapeutic experience for the entire correctional community and to help individuals return home in a healthier state of mind and body. THE PROBLEM WE FACE The problem of recidivism is undeniable as over half of those released from prison in New York are back within three years. Moreover, an estimated 61% of the incarcerated population suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that, without proper therapeutic support, will only worsen during the difficulty and isolation of incarceration and make rearrest more likely. HOW WE HELP Art That Serves has begun retracing the route of Matt Butler’s original national tour and is introducing the ATS Outreach Program at key stops. Beginning with a free public performance of ‘Reckless Son’, Matt’s heartening solo show, the program engages local artists and teachers who then apply for mentorship and training on how to present their work to the incarcerated. ATS then supports each artist through a short residency within a local correctional facility. At the residency’s conclusion, we seek to provide the incarcerated with consistent access to the arts and to a creative practice. This means that along with building a sustainable partnership between the community, the correctional facility and the new ATS artist cohort, we also provide each facility with coursework specifically designed and curated to be delivered via computer and tablet-based Learning Management Systems (LMS). Whether virtually or in-person, we seek to provide the incarcerated with genuinely rehabilitative experiences during their time spent inside a correctional facility.