Cape Breton society supporting creativity as means of overcoming food insecurity

The Elizabeth Fry Society of Cape Breton held an event that connected their staff and clients with the work of the original Elizabeth Fry of the early 1800s.

Fry is famous for transforming the prison system for generations of women and vastly improving the conditions of their lives. On Oct. 21, a special pop-up art exhibit harkened back to the days and the work of Fry herself.

British reformer Fry was the first person to provide women with the tools needed to help them survive both while in prison and after they were released. Imprisoned with their children, among the things Fry provided the women with were needles, fabrics and threads. With such materials, they were able to sew quilts and clothes, and buy their way out of prison.

The art exhibit was held to show Elizabeth Fry clients that they have skills, talents and the creativity to work with their hands and create some income for themselves and families.

Jennifer MacLellan, director of case management at the Cape Breton branch of the Elizabeth Fry Society, said the organization was given a small grant by Feed Nova Scotia to promote the fight against food insecurity in the area.

“We proposed we would do an art show because we work with women who are at the intersection of homelessness and criminalization,” MacLellan said. “Sometimes they have barriers to traditional employment, which might be criminal records.

“We wanted to show them that there is a thriving market in this area for art, and that the Cape Breton Regional Municipality is very responsive to artisanal works and this kind of crafting.”

Darlene MacEachern, co-executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Cape Breton, explained the connection between Elizabeth Fry’s life work and the recent pop-up art exhibit.

While people toured the office space on Townsend Street in Sydney looking at high-quality art on the walls and crafts on tables, she said that crafting, sewing, knitting and other artisanal works of marginalized women through the generations have been lifesaving. It was around 1813 that Elizabeth Fry was asked to take action to help “poor suffering children” imprisoned with their mothers at the notorious Newgate Prison in London, England.

She and a group of other Quaker women took baby clothes into the prison where Fry saw for herself the appalling conditions and despair they lived in.

In those days, you could buy your way out of prison, but most of the women had no means of financial support.

Under Fry’s leadership, said MacEachern, the Quaker women began to put together what was called “a bag of useful things,” that contained such items as clothing, toiletries, a Bible, spectacles, fabric, needles, a thimble and threads. This bag was also given to 12,000 women prisoners just before they were put on ships and sent to Australia. The women made quilts on their 17-week voyages and were able to find employment or lodging based on their skills.

MacLellan, an artist herself, said the staff at the organization hopes that if they cultivate the creative arts of their clients, they can supplement their incomes and recognize their self-worth in society.

“We have a lot of people in the community using our programs who are bead workers, or artists, or bakers – we have lots of people doing creative things,” says MacLellan.

As well as the impressive paintings, mixed media and line-art work on the office walls for sale, artists at the exhibit had tables of painted cards, tie-dye shirts, bead work, earrings and baking.

“We have two people here who make dreamcatchers, and they’re just incredible,” said MacLellan.

MacLellan provides addiction programs for the society. She says one of the first things she asks the clients is: “tell me something about yourself that might surprise us.”

Women, she says, have backgrounds from before they were affected by addiction or homelessness or criminalization.

“We have tons of people who speak three languages or have university degrees or are artists. A lot of people are musicians that come to us. Their backgrounds are as diverse as any other community,” MacLellan says.

She says that often, the clients teach skills to each other.

“They are artists, musicians and very talented people.”

The Elizabeth Fry Society is a national advocacy organization of over 20 societies in Canada. It serves to support and empower women and gender-diverse people who are criminalized, marginalized, or at risk of coming into conflict with the law.

Each non-profit society works locally to help with issues such as the health of women, prison overcrowding, lack of programming and women centred training for incarcerated women, discrimination, racism, oppression, and other problems women bring to them.

The society helps women reintegrate into their community after their release from prison or jail.

“We’re always trying to work with our community of women and gender diverse individuals,” says MacLellan. “It can be food insecurity or housing. It can be involvement with the justice system.

“People meet us at all stages of their lives and we try to assist with whatever it is that they need in that moment. There’s a lot of need in the community right now.”

She says using their creative skills is a great way to get into entrepreneurship.

The exhibit was a blend of established artists with some community artists who are new to selling their works in the hope that they may gain the confidence to attend craft sales as vendors themselves.

She says it’s a great way to provide a supplemental income.

“I don’t think enough people have the confidence in their own abilities and talents. So, this helps build a little confidence in their creativity, too,” she says.

MacLellan says Cape Breton has a thriving artist community.

“I know some of the smaller artists who run small and prosperous businesses because they have worked themselves out of their previous jobs and are able to do art full time,” says MacLellan.

With branches in Cape Breton and Halifax, the Elizabeth Fry Society provides culturally appropriate programs and services within federal prisons. Staff also provide support outside prison walls to make sure that women and teens at risk of criminalization have meaningful opportunities to engage with their respective cultures.