Lorton Art Program showcases D.C. inmates’ art

The Lorton Art Program (LAP) has been working with inmates at the Washington D.C. Department of Corrections, and will be showcasing some of their works at an exhibit at the Westminster at Lake Ridge senior community in Occoquan.

Work from the program will be shown at Westminster on February 9 at 3p.m. during an opening reception, and will be available for viewing until the end of March.

The LAP provides the inmates with education and training in the arts to help them find a future profession for after their release, according to the program’s website.

Mia Choumenkovitch founded the LAP program in 1975.

Choumenkovitch has won the DC Mayor’s Arts Award, and has also been included in the Washingtonian Magazine as a Washingtonian of the Year, according to a press release. 

“[LAP] offers unique learning and rehabilitative activities to both male and female inmates. It has demonstrated that training in and exposure to the visual arts can improve the learning skills and self-esteem of prison residents. As a result, the program has become an integral part of the [Washington] D.C. Department of Corrections facilities,” said Choumenkovitch in a press release.

While there may be stigma behind inmates in the corrections system, many of the pieces being showcased show just how talented these individuals are.

All of the pieces in the exhibition will be offered for sale, and the money made by the sale of the works will go to the inmates and their families.