OHOM stands for Open Hearts Open Minds — a mentality that we promote among everyone in our community, from staff and volunteers, to incarcerated members of our programs, and the public who attend our productions.
At any given time there are 22,000 people behind bars in Oregon. Most of them will be released at some point without having improved their social and emotional skills in order to re-enter society productively. We believe that change is possible and that our duty is to see men and women in Oregon’s carceral system as whole people who are experiencing trauma and are in need of support and community. Our programs in prison promote healing and transformation through the process of making and sharing art, with each other and beyond prison walls. We offer productions that are open to the public, and invite visitors to witness the innate creativity and complexity that lies within our program participants. Our hope is that we make visible the value that these individuals have, that they are more than their crime, and that returned citizens can be valuable members of our communities. OHOM is a part of a larger movement promoting prison arts as a powerful tool to shift public perception and generate a sense of self-worth among incarcerated people. We welcome partnership with other institutions, groups, and individuals who share in our vision.
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