New prison-art exhibit in Regina spotlights issues in colonial prison system

A new, one-of-a-kind exhibition in Regina is spotlighting the ongoing issue of over-representation of Indigenous peoples in provincial and federal custody.

The exhibition, which has been years in the making, has produced some considerably emotional responses.

“People have had visceral response to the boards, because they do contain a lot of trauma, so it can be triggering,” said Jason Demers, curator of the exhibition, and associate professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Regina.

“But, people have also said the exhibit has helped them work through things.”

The exhibit features writing and artwork created by prisoners at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary, dating back from the mid-1960s to present day.

Located in the Archway Exhibition Space at the main library at University of Regina, the exhibition provides a window into life in prison, as well as the trauma inflicted from taking individuals from the families and cultures.

It includes writing, articles, poetry, and art, thematically organized into subjects like ‘rehabilitation’ and ‘depravations’, as well as the history of the Native Brotherhood.

“This (project) started out as a recognition of the way that incarcerated people are represented in a museum – it often reduces them to improvised weaponry and riots. And doesn’t do much to understand who incarcerated people are,” said Demers.

During his research, Demers came across a grassroots organization called the Native Brotherhood, a group formed in the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in 1964 by incarcerated Indigenous men who banded together in order to understand their shared struggles.

The Native Brotherhood produced newsletters and artwork, which helped Demers make connections between past and present struggles of incarcerated Indigenous men.

“The activism of (the Native Brotherhood) led to a number of gains and infrastructure to Indiginize prison, which means there’s Elders available, pipes, ceremonies, and sweats. So the artwork on display represents some of culture that is practiced inside the institution as a result of their struggles,,” he said.

“It’s also a recognition that these men were banding together and finding each other in the midst of crisis in the over-incarceration of Indigenous peoples.”