VA: Juvenile Justice Program Exhibits Art

"For the week, a section of the General Assembly Building has been transformed into an art gallery, with paintings, woodwork, quilts and other pieces for sale—all made by children and teens serving sentences in the Department of Juvenile Justice.

The Expressions exhibit has been a part of the annual legislative session for the past 21 years, said Reggie Branch, the department's program manager for career and technical education. The proceeds go into the artists' canteen accounts to pay for snacks and toiletries and to buy more art supplies, Branch said.

A number of the roughly 100 pieces had already sold by [the third] morning. There are cutting boards and baskets hand-crafted by boys from the Hanover and Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Centers. Most of the items cost between $5 and $15.

Ten bucks buys a painting of a quill tucked into an American flag ink jar—titled Live & Change—by a teen from the Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center in Richmond.

A colorful quilt—named No Place Like Home—sewn by a young man at the Culpeper Juvenile Correctional Center costs $100.

The program provides art and technical training for incarcerated juveniles as well as a therapeutic outlet, Branch said. Some participants have gone on to study art or graphic design after their release, he added.

Juveniles assigned to the Department of Juvenile Justice typically are between the ages of 11 and 21 and serving criminal sentences of at least six months, Branch said. The department has six active residential facilities."

The Virginian-Pilot 02/13/2013