DELAND, Fla. — A new exhibition opening at Stetson University this month was curated entirely by students incarcerated at Tomoka Correctional Institution.
“NO ONE HERE BUT US” will be on display from Sept. 8 through Dec. 5 at Stetson’s Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center.
The exhibition features folk and outsider art curated by students enrolled in Stetson’s Community Education Project, a liberal arts program operating inside the Daytona Beach correctional facility.
The students developed the exhibition’s concept, selected the works and wrote accompanying interpretive material, despite never setting foot inside the gallery.
Education program operates inside Tomoka Correctional Institution
Stetson’s Community Education Project began as a weekly reading group with 12 incarcerated students and has since expanded into a broader liberal arts program.
More than 25 Stetson faculty members have taught courses, workshops and lectures covering subjects including history, mathematics, music, public health, philosophy, digital arts, languages and media studies.
The program is based about 15 miles from Stetson’s DeLand campus.
Natália da Silva, director of the Hand Art Center and faculty adviser for the exhibition, said the exhibit is designed to allow visitors to form their own interpretations of the work.
“The artists on view are exceptionally talented,” da Silva said. “Each artwork on view tells a story, but as intended by the curators, we invite visitors to formulate their own perspective.”
Exhibit includes accessibility features
Stetson professor Nathan Wolek also worked on tactile and audio elements intended to make the exhibition more accessible to visually impaired visitors.
Students helped develop written descriptions of the artwork, while audio students recorded narration and added sound design.
The works featured in the exhibition come from the Museum of Art-DeLand, the Walker Collection of Florida Self-Taught Art and several private collectors.
An opening reception is scheduled for Sept. 10 at 6 p.m., followed by a gallery talk Sept. 15 at 1 p.m.
Learn more about “NO ONE HERE BUT US” at the Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center.
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