Interrupt Trauma with Art and Kindness in Iowa

Our most exciting project we've worked on is our NBA G League Jerseys! The Iowa Wolves, the NBA G League franchise of the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with Principal and ArtForce Iowa collaborated to create and present six unique jerseys to celebrate the diverse communities in Iowa. The creation and design of the jerseys has been led by our team of youth artists and artist mentors. 

Emma Parker, ArtForce Iowa Program Director, says, "The opportunity to create social justice minded jerseys for the Iowa Wolves was an experience I know that so many of us in the ArtForce Iowa community will continue to treasure. Knowing that the voices and ideas from our community will be worn by players and seen by the greater community is truly an honor. I hope that we can continue to provide unique opportunities like this to the young people who call Des Moines home in the hopes of strengthening our communities and understanding one another."

The six jerseys we created will be worn and celebrated on these nights:

Black History Celebration Night, Feb. 14
Asian American Pacific Islander Celebration Night, Feb. 23
Women's History Celebration Night, March 16
Hispanic Heritage Celebration Night, March 29
LGBTQ+ PRIDE Night, March 31
Mental Health Awareness Night, April 1

Learn more about our collaboration here.

The continued pandemic has not stopped us from making art with young people in Central Iowa. We continue to host workshops in juvenile detention meeting young people where they are. In the next two months, we'll be starting workshops in a few new middle schools. We've used the last few months to start relationships and grow current relationships with our school teachers, juvenile court officers and adult allies. The planning and growing has supported us to make art with more youth in Central Iowa by interrupting trauma with art and kindness.