Stand-alone or add-on experience featuring compelling stories and exceptional photography offered until November 26
Kingston ON – Kingston Pen Tours is pleased to present the travelling exhibition, “Prisoners of Age,” a series of photographs and interviews with elderly inmates and corrections personnel and accompanying documentary at the Kingston Penitentiary between July 27 and November 26, 2023.
Photographed by the renowned artist Ron Levine, this standalone experience provides guests with the opportunity to explore prison life from the inmate perspective of growing old within the corrections system.
The thought-provoking images and interviews were captured between 1996 and 2015 in men’s and women’s prisons in Canada and the United States, shedding light on the lives and experiences of aging individuals serving time.
Levine set out to present the stories of some of the most marginalized members of our society in their own words, revealing much of themselves, while using the decision on what to do with them as a mirror to reflect what it reveals about society. The first-person inmate perspective of the exhibition offers an excellent companion piece to the history of the Pen presented in Kingston Pen Tours which feature first-person accounts from corrections staff.
Prisoners of Age has captivated audiences around the world. The travelling exhibition has been showcased at Alcatraz Penitentiary in San Francisco, Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, Powerhouse Gallery in Brisbane, and Eastern State Penitentiary Museum in Philadelphia.
Inside Kingston Penitentiary, the exhibition is set up in a designated cell range and workshop. Tickets to the exhibition are $10 and it is encouraged to book online in advance. A tour ticket is not required to attend the exhibition, however, guests can opt to purchase a ticket for a guided tour to enhance their visit if they wish. The guided tour options include Express, Standard, or Extended, providing different levels of insight into Canada’s oldest maximum-security prison. While the “Prisoners of Age” exhibition is self-guided, there will be a tour guide present to answer questions and enrich the guest experience.
Tickets are now available. For more information and tickets, please visit www.KingstonPenTour.com.
About Kingston Pen Tours
Kingston Pen Tours offer an in-depth look at life behind the walls of Canada’s oldest maximum-security prison. A National Historic Site, the Kingston Penitentiary played a prominent societal role on a local and national scale, from the time of its inception in 1835, to its principal role under the newly formed federal government in 1867 to its final day of operations in September 2013 as a maximum-security level facility. Today’s guided tours and first-hand accounts from retired corrections staff provide guests with a blend of the historic, cultural and criminological components of this storied institution, creating a one-of-a-kind experience.
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