We had the good fortune of connecting with Raphaelle Duche Holt and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Raphaelle, how does your business help the community?
Art for Redemption is a socially conscious art gallery and the premier marketplace for prison art in the US. We sell 100% prison art, 100% of the time. What sets us apart if that we are dedicated to supporting incarcerated artists and their families 365 days a year. Our marketplace is accessible year round with a percentage of the proceeds going directly to the incarcerated artists & their families.
Our goal with this marketplace is to give a real chance to that second chance. It’s really difficult to get out of prison and to reintegrate society sometimes after decades behind bars. By enabling artists inside to sell their art for an industry-standard wage, non only do we boost their confident and provide a goal to keep their minds busy & sane, but we also allow them to stay in touch with their families, pay societal debts and save up for their release. And this little bit of money aside as well as the maintained connexion with family members can go a very long way into ensuring a successful re-entry into our communities. The recidivism rate in the US is above 75%. Because despite the best intentions, when you get out in a world you’ve been disconnected from for years, haven’t been able to kept contact with your family, have to overcome all the obstacles that go with being labelled “a felon”, and have zero dollars on your account, it is needless to say that the system is designed to keep the loop of mass incarceration going, from one generation to another. And we aim to change this, through art.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
If I could talk to my 18 years old self, she wouldn’t believe that where I am today was going to be her future. I came a long way. From a teenage girl that couldn’t dare ordering a pizza over the phone by fear of being judged and seen as what “she believed” was a worthless human being, I am today an accomplished 30 years old french woman who did a solo road trip across the US, played semi-professional American football, started a photobooth business, founded the largest marketplace for prison art in the US to change the prison system, won semi-finalist of a baking show, and growing as a customer experience specialist within my currently employer Opinel USA: a french knife company. I never knew what I wanted to “be”. Because still today a job defines you. But there was just no job that I could be defined by. Despite my inner barriers that took years to defeat, I knew deep down that there was more awaiting for me. So I followed my heart and with the support of my family, I took every opportunity I had that I was attracted to. While studying at cinema school (from which I graduated as a graphic designer & special effects specialist), I was one of the founding members of a winning roller derby team which then led me to be part of team France for the worldcup. I worked in the cinema industry for a year but didn’t fit, so I decided to go back to the university and graduated from Law School. I studied partially in France and in Scotland. Having discovered American Football during my first year of law school, I then played for the University of Edinburgh in Scotland where I was the sole female player. After law school, I still had no clue what I was going to do as a “job”. So I took off for the US, me and my dog, bought a car in North Dakota and road tripped on my own for 6 months. I then settled in Denver, Colorado because I had been accepted to join the semi-professional American football Denver team for the season after successful tryouts. So I played within the LFL as a defensive end, practicing 25h per week while also volunteering in a men’s prison. I was not allowed to work in the US, my visa was a tourist only and I wanted to keep myself occupied while I wasn’t practicing. This is where I met the 2 most important person of my life today: my husband (Chris) and my business partner for Art for Redemption, Buck Adams. From there, I got a green card, started working as a customer service representative for a french knife company, Opinel USA, where my various skills made me climb the ladder internally in such a way that I am now the graphic designer, marketing assistant, e-com manager and still, customer service rep! This is my full time job, and Art for Redemption is my side business that Buck and I are growing since 2 years. And I love every minute of both my jobs. What I love the most, is the diversity of them, the way it requires so many skills because this is exactly what I wanted, although I couldn’t never have told you this is where I would end. For now…!
So live you life, do the things you would not have the opportunity to do again in the future. It’s because I lived my life to the fullest that I have found the jobs that suit me. Not the other way around. I have been lucky to be able to do this, there is no lie about that. But if you can, then do it.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
El Lucero in Littleton for the best shrimp tacos & pupusas! La Belle French Bakery for the best authentic french patisserie and viennoiserie.
Dirt Coffee for the best coffee in town.
Timberline Lake in Leadville, once of the coolest hike we did and such a peaceful place to camp.
Float the platte river from downton littleton to Oxford street! A fun time with some cool rapids.
Go skiing anywhere. You can’t go wrong. Arapahoe basin, Copper mountain, Vail Steamboat..
Take a drive during the fall to see the beautiful colors of the trees. Guanella pass is amazing.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
A few people! The first and maybe most important one, myself. Without sounding overly self-confident, shoutout to my courage, to my sense of justice, to my quest for perfection and insecurities, to my resourcefulness, and having found the beauty of this world that years ago I had lost sight of. For all my weaknesses there is a strength, and accepting this balance is probably the most important achievement of my life.
Secondly, it’s all of the above that led me to meet the next person I’ll give a shout-out to: Buck Adams. When I moved to the US, I volunteered in a men’s prison in Colorado and met Buck while he was serving time. A few years later, released, he reached out to me with this idea “Art for Redemption” or in other words an Etsy for incarcerated artists, and I said “Let’s go”. 2 years later, we are the largest marketplace for prison art in the US and making a change in the prison system as well as in our fellow incarcerated citizens & their families.
The third shout-out has also entered my life after this volunteering session in prison: my husband Chris. He is the most determined and intelligent person I know, and drives me to better myself everyday.
Lastly, my dog, Flit. Understand who can, but he allowed me to grow as a person and make choices for myself I would never have done without him. I love you for the rest of my life. Rest in peace sweet love.
And just because I wouldn’t be who I am & I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for them, shoutout to my parents. They allowed me to pursue my dream, to found myself, and I love you with all my heart.
Website: https://artforredemption.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artforredemption/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rapha%C3%ABlle-duch%C3%A9-10834a66/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/artforredempt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtforRedemptionCo/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvyzvIsonm5j6ywIWStdTZg
Image Credits
https://www.jeffreygroundsphotography.com/ for the wedding photo