Restorative Justice Art

Since 2018, I have been developing and piloting the concept of "restorative justice art". I define it as “the engagement of visual (e.g. drawing, filmmaking, musical performances), literary (e.g. poetry) performing (e.g. signing, music composition, theatre) plastic (sculpture) printmaking (e.g. digital printing) arts through the ethos (e.g. power sharing, co-design, equality) and practices (e.g. circles) of restorative justice. 

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Restorative justice art has been piloted as an innovative concept to (a) improve community cohesion and address community tensions and divisive narratives (b) improve mental health outcomes especially for those faced with multiple barriers including violence (c)  develop resilience against risks leading to harm (d) support community integration for those going through the gates of prison (Gavrielides, 2022 Introduction to Restorative Justice Art). 

 

Several books, training manuals, CPD certified ecourses and papers have been produced on this concept. I originally drew it from Greek philosophy and the Aristotelian concept of catharsis and restorative justice pain (Gavrielides, 2013). Observed through the Greek tragedy, Aristotle and other Greek classic philosophers used the concept to articulate the process of cleansing ourselves from unwanted feelings and emotions, and subsequently experience transformation.  

 

The method of restorative justice art was created as a result of several local and international pilot projects such as the “Culture and Art for Restorative Justice” and “Mental Health Matters”. 

 

Within Restorative Justice Art, I also developed the concept of Restorative Justice Music, a methodology that we have piloted in schools and community settings in the UK and abroad through our “Restoring Respect in Music Education” Erasmus+ funded project.