RTA and Michael Dwyer ’87 Bring Benefits of Origami to Inmates

The group created 1,000 Cranes, which then became an exhibition of the same name at Hudson Beach Glass in Beacon, NY in August 2019. The notion of 1,000 cranes in Japanese culture symbolizes hope, healing, and fulfilled wishes.

RTA brings the arts into prisons, promoting the transformative power of the arts to help those who are incarcerated develop skills to unlock their potential and succeed in the larger community.

Origami is a particularly rewarding art form for the inmates because of the skills it develops, such as hand/eye coordination, sequencing, and spatial skills. It also requires mathematical reasoning, memory, and patience, while it sharpens fine motor skills and mental concentration. Additional social benefits gained along the way include working collaboratively and learning about other cultures. One of the most important outcomes is the sense of pride in doing the work well.

As reported in The Highlands Current, Dwyer says a goal of his class is to “be able to treat these guys like human beings, even though they’ve made mistakes. The goal is to restore some of their humanity. We can’t let them be defined just by what they did, or they’d have no future. The space is supportive and recognizes them as individuals, and creative beings. Through the art they can work through some of their personal challenges and develop perseverance and commitment.”

Learn more about Michael Dwyer.