Trauma Reflected in Art

Art work of the children in the Iowa Juvenile Home

The art will be on exhibit through April 14th at the State Law Library of Iowa which is located on the second floor of the state capitol building in Des Moines. Open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For information call 800-248-4483, 515-281-5124 or e-mail law@lib.state.ia.us.

Upon the request and the encouragement of several Drake University educators, a traveling exhibition was established in 2001 that features art work created by youth who were living at the Iowa Juvenile Home.  This traveling exhibit was united under a common theme; all artwork conveyed evidence of early childhood trauma.

During the initiation of this concept, Olson-Larsen Galleries of West Des Moines offered strong support for the exhibition by providing support for framing and miscellaneous needs.  The exhibit then traveled to numerous central Iowa locations and was well received by the community centers and the college education departments that served as hosts.   Both the Des Moines Register and City View wrote articles conveying favorable comments concerning the quality of the student work as well as the therapeutic value that was evident for the youth who were participating.

The works in this exhibition, Trauma Reflected In Art, should be viewed with the understanding that “Emotion, which is suffering, ceases to be suffering as soon as we form a clear and precise picture of it”. (Baruch Spinoza as quoted in: Frankl, V.E., Man’s Search For Meaning).  Bringing artistic expression to buried emotions helps youth to process psychic wounds into concrete images.  By bringing fear and grief into the light for the world to see, these young artists help to relieve themselves of life-destroying burdens while gaining confidence and recognition for their conceptual and technical skills.   The visual art process affords this opportunity.

Within the institutional setting, major art activities encourage our at risk population to utilize the creative process as a non-threatening means for increasing self-awareness and for helping participants explore destructive feelings or fears that have prevailed.  A visiting artist program reinforces the creative process and provides for student/artist interactions.  Approximately 80% of the total population have the opportunity to participate in some aspect of this special programming. 

All the students with work in this exhibition suffered some form of major trauma during childhood or adolescence.  All were unsuccessful in coping with their circumstances.  Unable to resolve feelings of fear, rejection, betrayal, anger, shame, and hopelessness, they felt powerless to lead normal lives and kept attempting to bury these debilitating feelings.

But negative emotions do not remain buried.  In efforts to evade anxieties, these young people succumbed to sub-conscious, often destructive urges such as rage and aggression, suicidal ideation, sexual promiscuity, drug and alcohol abuse, learned helplessness, and self-mutilation.  Consequently, all have required out-of-home treatment including institutionalized placement.

This exhibit is a result of the emotional process of creating individual pieces of art.  Art therapy techniques assisted the students in gaining insights into buried experiences.  In some cases, the creative process itself—the act of making images—helped students to exorcise some of the destructive emotions and to realize the value of self-expression.

The student comments, which accompany their art, provide some insights into their individual problems.  The works, valuable as therapy, are also impressive, authentic pieces of art.