Rua Red

Time Well Spent is an exhibition of artwork created across fourteen prisons, and in three post-release centres in Ireland. The work has been selected and curated by Órla McGovern. Over the past three months, McGovern and Irish Prison Service Arts Officer Tom Shortt have travelled to prisons throughout Ireland, meeting with artists in custody to discuss and select their work.

The exhibition explores how the practice of making art can transform lives, build self-esteem and encourage positive change. Working independently, with teachers and with visiting artists, participants produce drawings, landscapes, intricate models, ceramics, and colourful, imaginative works. The prison arts programme allows students the opportunity to reflect, explore and express themselves, supporting personal development and rehabilitation.

Time Well Spent is a collaboration between Rua Red and the Irish Prison Education Service. Delivered in partnership with the Education and Training Boards, the Prison Education Service shares a joint vision of “A prison education service based on self-respect and respect for others, within a safe, supportive learning environment”.

Órla McGovern is an ethnologist, curator and PhD researcher in Irish Folklore and Ethnology at University College Dublin. Her work explores the ways people create and transmit culture through everyday practices, storytelling, material culture and artistic expression. Her current research focuses on contemporary folk arts in Irish prisons, exploring the narratives, themes, customs and the various forms of creativity that emerge within these environments.