Harmony Project

As Harmony prepares for the fourth annual Sunflower Prison Arts and Music Festival on tomorrow, hear from our founder and creative director, David Brown:

I’ve spent years witnessing what happens when people are given the chance to reconnect with their humanity through the arts. That’s what the Sunflower Arts & Music Festival represents.

What began as a connection between incarcerated women in Ohio and children at the Sunflower Children’s Hospice in South Africa has grown into an annual festival where incarcerated men and women from across Ohio come together to share music, poetry, visual art, dance, and personal storytelling.

Sunflower is not really about performance. It’s about humanity.

Over the years, I’ve watched Harmony’s Prison Arts Programs help people rebuild confidence, trust, accountability, and community in places where those things can be hard to find.

Please consider making a gift to support Harmony’s Prison Arts Programs and help this transformational work continue. bit.ly/3PC19AK

As Harmony prepares for the fourth annual Sunflower Prison Arts and Music Festival on June 2, we’re sharing stories that reflect the transformative power of this work.

This is Rochelle’s story:

I spent decades working inside Ohio’s prison system, and during that time, I saw countless programs come and go. But when I first stepped into a Harmony Project rehearsal at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, I knew this was something different.

I watched women begin to lower their defenses. I watched trust grow. I watched people who had spent years defined by their worst decisions reconnect with parts of themselves they thought were gone.

Years later, when I became Warden at Pickaway Correctional Institution, one of the first things I did was bring Harmony to the men incarcerated there. And once again, I witnessed that same transformation.

Today, I’m part of Harmony’s leadership team, continuing work I have believed in from the very beginning.

Because this is far more than a music program. It’s a pathway to healing, accountability, and second chances.

Please consider making a gift to support Harmony’s Prison Arts Programs and help ensure this work continues for the people who need it most. bit.ly/3PC19AK