Praying Mantis Productions aims to empower communities through creative experiences, and activate social change as we create better lives for ourselves and future generations.
Praying Mantis Productions.
Praying Mantis Productions was created in response to the social problems we face in Aotearoa New Zealand that are highlighted inside the justice system.
Inequity, racism, trauma, addiction and mental illness are woven together by stories too painful to share.
Most women inside prison have family outside and are huge influencers on the next generation. More than 23,000 children across our country have a parent in prison. It obviously does not start and end in prison; it starts at home, in our communities.
We all deserve to feel valued, to have a voice, to be heard and understood. With a deeper understanding of our stories and therefore ourselves, we are more able to weave into our community. As society and our community learns and understands our stories, we are more able to work together to create social change.
Through collaborations we can create opportunities to amplify the voices of people affected by the justice system and start these tough conversations.
Jacqui.
Jacqui is the Creative Director of Praying Mantis Productions. She has worked previously as the Arts in Corrections Advisor for Arts Access Aotearoa, and as an advisor to the Chief Censor of the Office of Film and Literature Classification. Jacqui has experience mentoring families engaged in social services, delivering and designing prison arts programmes, coordinating arts events, and has a background in community performing arts.
In 2020 Jacqui was a finalist in the Women of Influence (Arts & Culture) Award, and Home Ground received the Highly Commended Whai Tikanga Award from Arts Access Aotearoa. In 2019 she received the Sonja Davies Peace Award, and in 2017 was a finalist in the Wellingtonian of the year Arts & Culture Award.
Jacqui manages Home Ground. This project creates opportunities for women in the justice system to participate in high-quality arts process and practice. Artists are given the opportunity to work with this community, inside the probation and prison system.
Home Ground uses creative arts practice such as performing arts, photography, creative writing and music as a non-threatening, strengths-based approach to self-empowerment and community connectedness.
Jacqui managed the Arts in Youth Justice Residences pilot 2020–2022. This initiative increased access and participation in the arts for young people in youth justice residencies.
Other projects.
Arts in Youth Justice Pilot 2021
Praying Mantis Productions managed the delivery of the Arts in Youth Justice Pilot 2021.
Arts Access Aotearoa, with support from Oranga Tamariki and Creative New Zealand, initiated this pilot project to increase arts engagement and participation for rangatahi in youth justice facilities.
Over 2020, 2021 and 2022, we designed and programmed a diverse range of artists and organisations to deliver multi-disciplinary art forms, with initiatives spanning toi Māori, visual, performing and literary arts.
Through this pilot we provided rangatahi with access to the arts and strengthened the youth justice residence’s connection to its community.
Home Ground.
Home Ground is a collaborative creativity and wellbeing initiative for women who have experienced incarceration or are engaged in the justice system.
The projects use creative arts practice, such as theatre, photography, creative writing and music, as a non-threatening, strengths-based approach to self-empowerment, community connectedness and wellbeing.
Artists both inside and outside of prison are encouraged to create artistic response to the issues women and whānau face in the justice system.