Presented by WorkNet, Inc.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi is pleased to proclaim July 15, 2022 to be Inmate Art Exhibit – Empathy Day. The Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, along with the non-profit agency, WorkNet, Inc., will be showcasing an art exhibit by the Correctional Arts ReEntry Project (C.A.R.E.). The exhibit will be held in Lane Gallery of Honolulu Hale, displaying 64 pen and pencil drawings created by inmates in the Women’s Community Correctional Center and the Waiawā and Hālawa Correctional Facilities.

The C.A.R.E. Project began as a challenge to a women’s re-entry class to develop an activity that would have real world impact to improve society.

WorkNet, Inc. supports the transition of inmates from confinement to the community by providing behavioral training, resume preparation, assisting with job search, mentoring, and coordinating services. The non-profit organization empowers these members to share stories of resiliency in the hopes of ministering them to make positive contributions to their communities.

The mission behind this endeavor was to produce heart-felt, home-made greeting cards, which would then be handed out to keiki in domestic shelters, homeless shelters, and the Ronald McDonald House. The efforts of this project began to attract inmates with artistic talents, which eventually grew into popular classes being taught by professional art instructors.

The presentation of the Mayor’s Proclamation is scheduled for Friday, July 15, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. in the Honolulu Hale Courtyard.

 Additional contributing supporters:

Office of Community Services
The Awesome Foundation Oʻahu
The Atherton Family Foundation
Hawaiʻi Community Foundation
Women’s Fund of Hawaiʻi
G70 Foundation

Press:

Hawai‘i News Now: From inmates to artists: New Honolulu Hale exhibit features works created behind bars (July 22, 2023)

Hawai‘i Public Radio: Honolulu Hale showcases art made by Oʻahu inmates