Our Origin Story
It all started when…
ArtForce Iowa was conceived by a man convicted of attempted murder and terrorism for a drive-by shooting that happened in the summer of 1999 in Des Moines, Iowa. While in prison, he discovered his talent as a writer and authored three manuscripts: a memoir and two novels, inspired and informed by the life and works of Philip Roth and Saul Bellow. After his release, that author and a teacher collaborated to establish Iowa Arts-in-Education to reach children and youth living in high poverty, high crime neighborhoods by encouraging their creativity in any artistic arena.
Free art workshops began in a small rented basement office space
under a strip mall in 2013, with participants referred through Polk County Department of Juvenile Justice. Leadership of young people shaped the program. When a participant requested a specific arts discipline, ArtForce Iowa staff and volunteers found professional practicing artists to mentor them. Training for mentors was limited to Motivational Interviewing: a microcounseling skill meant to evoke and support intrinsically-motivated positive change. Staff and mentors sought to find out what children were interested in and help them pursue it, with kindness and without judgment.
In late 2013, ArtForce Iowa found its name and established “Creative Pathways”, which now goes by "Pathways".
The name for the supportive arts community/program that serves children and youth ages 13½ to 19 who are court-involved . We use the euphemism “court-involved”. Some may say “juvenile delinquents” or “criminals”. This community of artists has grown to include: children ages 12-13 who are court-involved, children with five or more behavior referrals in school and children who are involved in the foster care system. We also informally support youth who met us as children, are over 18, and still find value in our services.
In 2016, ArtForce Iowa recognized another community in need of access to art: children and youth who are refugees, immigrants or first-generation American-born who are victims of crime.
In response to this need, ArtForce Iowa launched a new program based upon the Pathways program model, called Heroes. Adaptations for this new population included informal community outings, one-on-one time and non-language-based workshops and projects. Training for artist mentors deepened to include Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), trauma-informed care, cultural humility, and language bias.
