ART GALLERY SHOWCASES SECOND CHANCES

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(Watch the interview on Wane.com here.)

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) Two groups have teamed up to showcase an art exhibit that highlights heartache and triumph. The Second Chances Exhibit and Fundraiser will feature several people in the community who have earned their second chance at employment and life.

Thirteen local contemporary artists were paired with 13 graduates from Blue Jacket, a non-profit organization that helps people looking for a second chance find gainful employment. Those artists have created work that tells their stories for the fundraiser at Artlink in March.

As Tony Hudson, Executive Director of Blue Jacket explained, Blue Jacket graduates have had some hard times.

“Some have gotten in trouble, some have criminal backgrounds, some have seen some chronic unemployment,” he said. “These artists are highlighting how they overcame that and how they became redeemed again and earned their second chance.”

Hudson is also an artist himself. He said he volunteered with Artlink and saw an opportunity for the two organizations to work together. Artlink is also a non-profit, using its gallery to showcase high quality artwork by diverse visual artists while also educating the community.

“We wanted to highlight some of the ways that these graduates have reintegrated into society, turned their lives around and we thought the best way to do that would be through the medium of art,” Amber Foster, Executive Director of Artlink said.

Andrea Robinson, Event Chair at Artlink, echoed that sentiment saying, “my hope is that our community really gets to see that power of redemption and second chances and that they can see it in a variety of mediums.”

The Second Chance Exhibit and Fundraiser is on March 11 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Several pieces will be auctioned live that evening. The exhibit runs throughout March and ends in April. Admission is free for members, with a suggested donation of $2. Profits will be split between Blue Jacket and Artlink.