We advocate for and support increased access to educational programming (i.e., funding for tuition) and materials (i.e., books, art supplies, etc.) in prisons and jails across Saskatchewan and Alberta, including for people on remand and in high-security areas (i.e., people with limited access to other programs). In addition, we aim to develop consistent and sustainable avenues for incarcerated people to create and disseminate their art.

This includes supporting pathways to formal and informal publications for creative writing, art displays/shows, and the co-development of a model that can support art sales and the economic empowerment of incarcerated artists. Some creative writing publications that have been produced by Light Fires includes: Creative Escape; an initiative of the Cultural Coordinator at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre and Prison Pandemic Papers; a collection of writing/poetry/art pertaining to the experiences of COVID-19 inside prison by Cory Cardinal.

TLEF Project: Prison-to-Post-Secondary Transitional Framework

Light Fires is currently in the process of designing and implementing a transitional framework for learners who have been impacted by incarceration. This framework, supported by the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF), will identify existing supports and create solutions for gaps. In the Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 semesters Light Fires will support two to four students to take University courses. Incorporating both for-credit and non-credit Light Fires programs, this framework aims to make University education more accessible for system-impacted students.

CAIR Project: Co-Developing a Model to Support Indigenous Artists Behind Bars

Our partners are STR8 UP, a community-based, member-driven organization in central and northern Saskatchewan that supports former gang members, and Justice Exchange, a university project that supports access to information for incarcerated people across the country. Through a literature and policy review, alongside community-driven, arts-based research with STR8 UP members at the Sask Pen and other incarcerated people in SK and AB, we look to better understand the barriers and policies that limit art production, as well as the needs and desires of incarcerated artists. Through this work, we aim to build a network of relationships and co-develop a model–such as a co-op, collective, or social enterprise–that will support people engaged in the arts inside and post-release.

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