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MEGHAN O'MALLEY
Prodigal Arts workshops with
Eastwood Park Women's Prison & The Nelson Trust Women's Centre
Prodigal Arts Charity workshops
I am an Artist in Residence at Bristol-based visual arts charity Prodigal Arts. I support female prisoners and women with lived experience of the criminal justice system through creative mentoring and facilitation at HMP Eastwood Park Prison and community-based hubs, including The Nelson Trust Women’s Centre in Bristol, working with women experiencing multiple disadvantages.
We work with the artists to help build a sense of self-worth, achievement and confidence, and thereby to help reduce the likelihood of re-offending. Through art and encouraging positive behavioural changes we aim to help transform individuals, giving them the opportunity to make positive contributions to society. We sell the work people have made in the mentoring sessions and their own time as part of their ongoing rehabilitation.
Working within prisons and community sites, I work to tailor the workshops to meet the specific needs of each group while maintaining a trauma-informed approach. These series of prints were made during a print-making course with the women, exploring creating mutiple layers and using natural material to create work.
Women in Blue
In this body of work, a group of creative women from The Nelson Trust Women’s Centre came together to reclaim one of photography’s earliest techniques - the cyanotype. Using sunlight to create their images, each participant embarked on a process of experimentation and discovery.
Every cyanotype was hand-made by an individual woman, using a range of fabrics, natural materials, illustrations, and personal photographs to produce unique sun prints. Illuminated in blue, these works embody individuality while celebrating the sense of community and unity within the sessions.
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