Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition

"I'm really still in prison and my love,
she holds the key,
a simple yellow ribbon is what I need to set me free."
- Irwin Levine and L Russell Brown (1973) "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree".


Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBL2kzKg4nY

I have learnt something new when I attended the Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition held at the Singapore Art Museum, The Chapel, yesterday. I had a vague idea that the Yellow Ribbon Project was about promoting a more accepting and inclusive society that is willing to give ex-offenders a second chance at making good. However, I was never aware that the name for the Yellow Ribbon Project was inspired by the 70's hit song, Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree. The song was supposedly based on a real-life story of "an ex-offender's journey to forgiveness".

This year, The Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition is based on the theme "RestART", which is also an acronymn for REsilience, Self-Awareness, Transformation, Adaptability, Reintegration into The Community. The artworks featured in this exhibition expresses the participants' interpretations of the theme.



One thing I like about the exhibition is the brief descriptions that accompany each and every artwork. The descriptions were thoughtfully written to give visitors to the exhibition a glimpse of what each artwork intends to express. A number of the artworks featured in this year's Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition had caught my attention as these works seem to portray the inner thoughts and feelings of inmates and ex-offenders to ask for forgiveness and to ask to be reaccepted by the community at large.

Among the various 3-dimensional works, my favourite one was a clay sculpture entitled  Re-united by Affendi. The work was said to be created by the artist "to demonstrate his love for his family. The process of creating it requires a lot of practice, hard work and perserverance."

Although this exhibition does not feature any world renowned artists, the quality of the artworks and the sincerity behind each of the artworks make this exhibition worth our time to support. For we are not just supporting the artworks and the artists, we are doing our part to demonstrate our willingness to accept and to give a second chance to ex-offenders. 

In conjunction with the Yellow Ribbon Community Art Exhibition, "RESTART", there will also be various art workshops held at Programme Space, Level 2, Singapore Art Museum at 8Q.

Members of the public who enjoy the artworks at the exhibition can even look forward to adopting the artworks. Proceeds from the adoption will be contributed to the Yellow Ribbon Fund.

Yellow Ribbon Communtiy Art Exhibition, "RESTART"
1 to 14 September 2010

Opening Hours:
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Mon to Sun)
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Fri)

Venue:
Singapore Art Museum

Free admission
(Museum admision applies for entry into other galleries)