Portraits Through Time: Exploring Identity, Creativity and Rehabilitation Through Prison Education

This May, a powerful new exhibition at Shakespeare North Playhouse will showcase the creative voices of learners from prisons across the North of England. Delivered by Novus in partnership with Shakespeare North Playhouse, Portraits Through Time highlights the transformative impact of creative enrichment in prison education.

Running from 12 May to 31 May, the exhibition presents artwork created by learners from eight Novus sites, offering a collective exploration of identity, resilience, storytelling and self-expression through art.

A Creative Collaboration Across the Prison Estate

Portraits Through Time connected learners from nine prisons across the North of England through a shared creative brief. Participating sites included:

• HMP Styal
• HMP Altcourse
• HMP Risley
• HMP Buckley Hall
• HMP Hindley
• HMP Thorn Cross
• HMP Liverpool
• HMYOI Wetherby
• HMP Berwyn

While the project was delivered across all nine sites, work from eight prisons features in the final exhibition.

Using a specially designed workbook, learners explored themes of identity, heritage, memory and personal storytelling. The workbook created a shared framework across all sites while still allowing participants the freedom to interpret the project in deeply personal ways. The result is a collection of unique pieces connected through a wider creative conversation.

Inspired by Elizabethan Blackwork and Shakespearean Storytelling

The project drew inspiration from the intricate patterns of Elizabethan Blackwork embroidery associated with Catherine of Aragon. Learners used pattern, symbol and text to communicate aspects of their own identity and experiences.

Creative activities included:

• Designing personal Coat of Arms and Family Crests
• Creating symbolic QR codes representing identity and connection
• Exploring Shakespeare-inspired creative writing
• Developing visual storytelling techniques through art and design

Together, these pieces form a collective portrait of creativity and humanity across time and place.

Why Creative Enrichment Matters in Prison Education

Creative enrichment plays a vital role in prison education and rehabilitation. Research consistently shows that arts-based learning can support confidence, communication, emotional wellbeing and engagement with education. It also creates opportunities for learners to develop positive identities beyond their convictions.

According to the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance, participation in arts programmes can improve wellbeing, strengthen social skills and encourage long-term engagement in learning and rehabilitation.

Research from the University of Huddersfield Research Portal found that arts interventions in prisons help participants develop self-confidence, literacy skills and more positive self-identities.

Creative learning also helps many learners reconnect with education in ways traditional classrooms may not always achieve. As highlighted in our work on creative arts in prisons, arts programmes provide supportive and engaging pathways into learning while helping learners build resilience and emotional awareness.

Supporting Connection, Family and Rehabilitation

Beyond artistic development, Portraits Through Time supported wider personal development outcomes including:

• Confidence and self-esteem
• Communication and teamwork
• Critical thinking and reflection
• Wellbeing and self-management
• Family connection and peer celebration

Family days and shared celebration events formed an important part of the project, helping learners strengthen relationships and maintain meaningful connections with loved ones.

Creative projects can also contribute to a rehabilitative culture within prisons by encouraging reflection, achievement and a sense of purpose. Public exhibitions such as this one provide an opportunity for learners’ voices to be recognised within respected cultural spaces, helping wider audiences engage with stories that are often unheard.

As explored through our creative partnerships work, creative enrichment can strengthen family relationships, support mental wellbeing and build confidence for successful reintegration into society.

Visit the Portraits Through Time Exhibition

The Portraits Through Time exhibition will be on display at Shakespeare North Playhouse from 12 May to 31 May. 

The address for the exhibition is: Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prospero Place in Prescot, L34 3AB.

The exhibition offers visitors a chance to experience an inspiring collection of artwork that reflects creativity, resilience and identity across the prison education community in the North of England.

Through collaboration, storytelling and artistic expression, Portraits Through Time demonstrates the lasting value of creative enrichment in prison education and the power of culture to connect people across places, experiences and time.