The INSTITUTE FOR
AESTHETIC ADVOCACY

April 11, 2022

 

Dear Committee:

 

The attached Project Narrative – per your questions – outlines the Institute for Digital Humanity and Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy’s proposal (“All Bullets Shatter: Uncounted Stories of Gun Violence and Trauma”) for the City of Minneapolis’ investment and support.

 

Project Abstract

Over 26,000 shots were fired in Minneapolis between January and September of 2021.  These stories of gun violence are always “counted” in fatalities and injuries.  Behind the numbers, however,  there is always an “uncounted” story of trauma – for victims and their families – that can’t be quantified.

 

To allow traumatized people to heal, it is essential to amplify the stories and voices of these unheard victims.  Art and storytelling – as psychological research makes clear – is essential to the PTSD recovery process. But because systemic racism and inequity force far too many to suffer in silence, we desperately need accessible platforms for artists and affected community members to give voice to their narratives and call attention to this epidemic of bullets and shattered lives.      

 

As a small step toward correcting this injustice, the Institute for Digital Humanity– in partnership with the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy; Guns Down, Love Up and other Twin Cities’ gun violence advocates; the Digital Archive of Literary Narratives; nationally recognized academics; and local elected officials – will launch its online storytelling archive:  “All Bullets Shatter: Uncounted Stories of Gun Violence and Trauma” in May 2022.  Focusing on the intersection of gun violence and unhealed trauma  — and curated to (a) catalyze local and national community conversations on trauma; and (b) call attention to the true cost of gun violence  — the opening of “All Bullets Shatter” will take place virtually and physically on May 5, 2022 and feature a coalition of victims, local/national gun violence advocates, academics, and mental health professionals.

 

While individual healing is the priority in this project, we are seeking long-term funding to:

 

1. Transform the initial exhibition into a permanent and “living” interactive online archive of trauma narratives for advocates, educators, and victims.

2. Begin a robust marketing and branding assessment/campaign to “centralize” existing Twin Cities’ resources (including advocacy groups working in the intersectional nexus of gun violence and trauma) to maximize the efforts of these organizations already working to end this tragedy of shattered lives.  

3. Promote existing PTSD mental health tools to affected communities in Minneapolis via workshops and targeted marketing campaigns.

4. Provide robust art-based PTSD training to local educators.

 

Question 1. What type(s) of violence does your project address? [note all that apply] 

 Our proposed “living” art exhibition and community education events address the human cost of untreated – and under-treated – trauma from gun violence (“peer and community violence”) and the residual harms of violence that arise from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), including: Bullying, intimate partner violence, and suicide.

 

2. What neighborhoods and/or communities will this project focus on?
The central thrust of our proposal is that gun violence cannot simply be measured by fatalities and body counts: Therefore our “community” is everyone in Minneapolis that has been affected by the tens of thousands of bullets that shatter lives – often invisibly – in our city every year.  Geographically speaking, however, our focus is on the neighborhoods – especially Wards 4 and 5 – that are traditionally both more affected by gun violence and under-served in terms of community resources on mental health and counseling.

 

 3. What specific problem or issue related to violence in Minneapolis within the neighborhoods or communities of focus is your project intended to address? 

Gun violence has been on the rise in Minneapolis, particularly among its youth. This uptick is part of a national trend of increasing gun violence over recent years. A strong correlation exists between this rise in gun violence and ensuing traumatic experiences and PTSD.  More than 50% of individuals will experience a trauma in their lifetime. This damage often goes beyond the individual sufferer: the bulk of traumatic experiences in our society produces the under-addressed problem of “secondary stress,” in which family members of those suffering trauma begin to experience the same debilitating symptoms as their loved ones. Furthermore, because many instances of PTSD are comorbid with substance abuse problems, incarcerated individuals with such problems are susceptible to a higher recidivism rate. In addition to this, there is also a financial element of trauma and PTSD; those with mental health disorders cost employers almost $5,000 dollars a year per person. While this figure is for those who suffer from any and all mental health disorders, those who suffer from PTSD have a greater degree of financial strain and resource use than those without The prevalence of trauma and its impacts means we need a better understanding of this frighteningly common experience.

 

Art and storytelling – as research makes clear – is essential to the PTSD recovery process. Trauma is not simply cognitive; it is also physically embodied, or “subsymbolic.”  Both the sensory-somatic nature of trauma and the difficulty of putting trauma into words often mean that “talking out” one’s experience may not be a sufficient way of dealing with trauma. This is where art therapy can be helpful, providing a meaningful supplement to language-centered approaches through visual and other sensory means. One systematic review of comparative studies on art therapy found “a significant decrease in psychological trauma symptoms” in the treatment groups of half the studies. Providing opportunities for artistic and therapeutic expression allows us to bring research-backed practices to our communities and neighborhoods.

 

4. What do you propose to do about the problem or issue you described? 

The epidemic of gun violence in the City of Minneapolis is well documented.  However, the public, political, and criminal justice focus on physical effects (i.e., fatalities and injuries) ignores the “true” human cost of gun violence (trauma and its impact on individuals and families).   

 

We believe turning public and political attention to this issue provides three critical advantages: (1) raising awareness of the problem; (2) properly re-framing gun violence (and its aftermath) as a public health issue (and not simply a criminal justice issue); and (3) providing healing to individuals (and families) to prevent the “secondary” strain of violence that results from untreated/under-treated PTSD.

 

To best understand our proposal, what follows is a step-by-step “process” that also serves as a “narrative” of our budget.

 

Step One: Art Call and Kick-Off Exhibition (Spring 2022; May 2022)
Our art call has already circulated locally, nationally, and internationally to curate the initial collection of gun violence trauma narratives and exhibits.  Local politicians, gun violence advocates, trauma victims, and mental health experts are scheduled for the kick-off event.
 

Step Two: Leveling Up the Exhibition as a Permanent “Living” Archive of Stories and Art

We will contract with a local web development team to transform both our exhibition and the kick-off event into a “virtual” (and permanent) interactive online exhibition of gun violence trauma stories to be used by advocates, educators, and mental health professionals.

Step Three: Marketing and PR for Twin Cities Gun Violence and Trauma Services

The lack of accessible and available resources (e.g. counseling, education, and victim support groups) for those suffering is not a problem that can be solved overnight.  What has become apparent in our outreach and reconnaissance is that invaluable resources exist, but the advocate and counseling communities are far too decentralized.  Using #AllBulletsShatter as a social media campaign strategy, our marketing and social media teams will (a) organize existing resources into accessible information resources; (b) cohesively network (via branding and social media strategy) the currently decentralized groups in Minneapolis working on these issues; (d) begin targeted video PSAs and community podcasts on PTSD and gun violence.

 

Step Four: Workshop One: Advocate Training on Social Media Marketing

Once Step Three is complete, we will offer a dedicated workshop for advocates and mental health professionals on how to (a) better utilize a cohesive brand to build a “coalition” around gun violence and mental health in Minneapolis and (b) provide directed “advertising” to better direct services to hard-to-reach suffering populations (BIPOC, hispanic, Hmong, veterans, etc.)

 

Step Five: Workshop Two: Educator Training on Art and PTSD

Once Step Three is complete, we will offer a dedicated workshop for educators on how to incorporate All Bullets Shatter art and trauma curricula into school and communities.  This training curriculum will also be housed (for free) on the archive and the IAA website.  We will contract with leading experts (local and national) in education, mental health counseling, and art advocacy for these in person and online workshops and assets.

Step Six: Project Success Assessment.
See answer in Question Seven (below).

 

Audience of focus? How many people do you expect to engage/reach?

See above. Historically, our curated art events generated a few hundred submissions and participants.  With aggressive marketing and workshops (see Steps Three, Four, and Five above) we can easily reach thousands via social media.  We anticipate 20-40 participants at each workshop, which can then create a “multiplier effect” throughout the city.
 

How many staff/volunteers/partners will be involved and what they will do? Are the proposed activities part of an ongoing effort, an expansion of an existing effort, or a new project? 

See above on strategies to engage/recruit new participants.  The IDH and IAA run on a staff of approximately 25 paid students and volunteers.  This particular project arises out of a personal experience: The near shooting of the IDH Executive Director/IAA Creative Director (Dr. Aaron McKain) in his living room in North Minneapolis last fall.  (Because of a lifetime of under-treated PTSD, he was put on medical leave until February 2022 after completing an outpatient treatment program for trauma).  Our organizations’ focus on gun violence is thus “new,” but also a logical extension of our long-standing and nationally recognized work on public health, trauma, and racial justice.   As this new initiative was not part of fiscal year’s budgeting or fundraising, we are submitting this RFP to maximize the work we are already doing via the initial exhibition in May and leverage our significant expertise in curriculum, marketing, and art advocacy to assist the gun violence and mental health advocates who have already (generously) begun to partner with us on this effort.

 

5. Why did you choose the specific activities you are proposing?  Will they work?

Research on PTSD has made it clear that art-therapeutic strategies can meaningfully mitigate traumatic responses.  (See Question 3, above.)  The unique and nationally recognized specializations of our organizations consist of curatorial, media, and advocacy strategies that both provide an open forum for everyday voices impacted by public health issues and a “toolkit” for other partners and advocates to facilitate and amplify conversations around those issues.  (See below.)  Additionally, there are – nationally – already ad hoc efforts to use art to promote public health issues.   We believe this relatively small investment by the City of Minneapolis would allow us to provide immediate “healing” to victims while providing a fiscally responsible means of doing so.

 

6. What makes you/your organization qualified to do this project?

This project is a collaborative effort between the Institute for Digital Humanity (a bi-partisan, and student-run, digital ethics think tank dedicated to racial equity in criminal justice technology) and the Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy (a Twin Cities art collective focused on racial justice and public health).  For the “All Bullets Shatter” initiative, these organizations have joined forces with leading academics in community narrative curation and art for social change in the realm of criminal justice (e.g., the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives, Ohio State University, Georgia State University, Portland State University, and the University of Pittsburgh’s Prison Writing Project), local gun violence and mental health advocates (e.g., Guns Down, Love Up; Project Minnesota; Art is My Weapon; National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota), and local church and school communities (e.g. St. Bridget’s Northside; Sojourner Truth Academy; Saint Paul Public Schools). 

Specific answers to your RFP questions are below.  A brief overview of Institute for Digital Humanity and Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy qualifications are as follows:

Institute for Digital Humanity (www.institutefordigitalhumanity.org) Qualifications:
The IDH is an independent, non-profit, student-run digital justice think-tank which (in two years) has “burst the filter bubble” with bi-partisan local and national partnerships on: technology law and ethics; post-digital American politics; and racial equity. A full list of these students’ accomplishments can be found on their website, but a quick list of achievements follows.
 

IDH Community Education on Race, Technology, and Social Justice:

• Partnering with the Anti-Defamation League (and Netflix’s Coded Bias team) on a national, interactive, and multi-modal algorithmic discrimination curriculum.

• Creating a cross-university research network (and developing online undergraduate/graduate classes) on technology law and ethics with the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University (producing publishable legal research, white paper requests for Minnesota legislators, and corporate audits).
   

IDH Community Advocacy (Marketing and Social Media):

• Partnering with the ACLU of MN (running social media campaigns on a successful – and historic – facial recognition ban in Minneapolis.

• Developing a“living” community textbook and podcast series on digital ethics.
   

IDH Community Development: 

• Working alongside the Little Earth Native American HUD community on grant-funded anti-hate and cyber-bullying education (and raising $27,000 to build a food pantry in the wake of the George Floyd protests).

• Partnering with Saint Paul Public Schools (2021), local African American news outlets (Our Black News, News on Purpose; 2021); and Civic Nebraska (2022) to build high school programs on journalism and disinformation for BIPOC students.
   

Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy (www.instituteforaestheticadvocacy.com) Qualifications: 

The Institute for Aesthetic Advocacy is a Twin Cities art collective dedicated to using art to curate and catalyze community conversations on racial justice, public health (specifically mental health and trauma), and technology ethics. A full list of their achievements can be found on their website, though a quick list of accomplishments follows.

 

IAA Curated Local, National, and International Exhibitions:

• “Digital Rights Are Civil Rights: Race and Technology” (2021, with ACLU MN and Councilman Steve Fletcher); “Contaminated: Mental Health During COVID” (2020); “Sad Girls: PTSD and Feminism” (Twin Cities Zine Fest; Saint Cloud Zine Fest; 2019).

 

IAA Solo and Group Exhibitions on Public Health

• CICA Museum, [South Korea; Wheaton College Biennial; NE Sculpture Gallery, 610 Gallery); Missouri Review; Shelter in Place Gallery; Franconia Sculpture Park; Ely Center for Contemporary Arts
   

IAA Publications and Academic Work on Public Health (Trauma)

• “In Two Voices” in Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine (2020); Popular Culture and Theology; Blerg.com; Rhetoric of Health and Medicine Symposium (2020); Rhetoric Society of America (2018, 2020); College Chronicles (podcast series on trauma).

Any experience serving the neighborhoods/communities of focus?

See above.  It is also worth noting that the IDH and IAA have done extensive collaborative work with the Little Earth Native American HUD Community (including a MN Department of Health funded cyberbullying prevention workshop) and the IDH’s original “home institution” (North Central University) was the host site of the George Floyd memorial (which has made us a “safe space” for grieving members of the Minneapolis community).
 

Demonstration of past fiscal responsibility?

See above.  The IDH and IAA are regular recipients of donations and grants (state and local) and service national clients (Indiana University, the Anti-Defamation League, North Central University, Netflix’s Coded Bias team).  We are in final negotiations for a six-figure contract with Creighton University for online curriculum development.  We can also use North Central University or Indiana University as “parent orgs” if that makes the  funders of this RFP more comfortable.

Experience, expertise, and knowledge providing services that can help prevent violence?

See above.   Both the IDH and IAA are (a) nationally recognized leaders in using art to catalyze community conversations around racial justice and public health; (b) experienced (in practical, educational, and academic senses) in trainings on the inter-personal and legal implications/challenges of PTSD and trauma; and (c) recipients of state funds on violence prevention (e.g., MN Department of Health).  To augment our expertise on this initiative, we are also budgeting to increase the use of our existing expert partners (e.g. University of Pittsburgh’s Prison Writing Project; Guns Down, Love Up) and retain dedicated psychology professors specializing in trauma (North Central University; University of Nebraska-Omaha) as well as specialists in art and criminal justice (University of Kansas).
 

Any relevant existing partnerships/collaborations your organization could leverage?

See above.  In addition to the IDH and IAA’s usual partners (community orgs, political leaders, art advocacy groups, and educators), our “All Bullets Shatter” art call is (daily) catalyzing a robust coalition of gun violence, trauma, and mental health groups and advocates. Our extensive connections in North Minneapolis, Latino and Hmong communities in the Twin Cities, and with religious organizations will allow us to quickly grow our network if funds are provided.

 

7. How will you know if your project has worked?
While personal narratives of trauma healing are the heart of this project, the hard reality is that – while our city is struggling with an epidemic of gun violence – the lack of PTSD and trauma counseling services for individuals and families and the alarming lack of information about existing services (and the decentralized nature of gun violence and trauma advocacy already “on the ground” in our city) means that we are living through a human rights tragedy.  Therefore, the metrics of success we will utilize are common to any marketing or rebranding effort: We initially assess (in Step Three) the current audience reach (and rate of use) for existing PTSD services and gun violence advocacy groups.  We will then (in Step Six; see above) evaluate how our rebranding, marketing/networking efforts, and workshops are “growing” (a) the social media reach of our partner organizations after Steps Three and Four (e.g., Guns Down, Love Up; Art is My Weapon; Project Minnesota); (b) existing PTSD counseling and education efforts (e.g,. NAMI MN, the Minnesota Second Chance Coalition); (c) and the use of our art and trauma training materials by local educators after our Workshop (see Step Five).

 

8. What do you expect the challenges to be, and how do you plan to overcome them?

The central problem with trauma recovery is the reluctance of victims to talk about their experience.  Our use of art as a means to catalyze a “community” of PTSD sufferers (and show them that, while their stories are unique, they are never alone) is one proven tactic to overcome this societal barrier to mental health.  Diversity also matters: Gender, race, class, geography, disability,  marital status, religious affiliation, and sexuality are also key components of how individuals “heal” from traumatic experiences.  Because of this, the multicultural nature of the IDH and IAA’s leadership teams (which are primarily Latino, African-American, Hmong, female, queer, and neurodiverse) is a critical component of our project’s success.  As is the fact that while our Executive Director/Creative Director (Dr. Aaron McKain) is a disabled, cishet, white male, he has a proven track record of empowering BIPOC students and artists to take the lead on community education efforts while keeping himself on the sidelines. (See the IDH and IAA’s diversity statements on their respective websites.)

 

9. Who else, if anyone, do you plan to collaborate with?

Detailed answer provided in Questions 6 and 7.  

 

10. How do you see your project having continued impact beyond the funding period?

By creating a permanent “living” archive of trauma narratives and art exhibitions, we are essentially creating an asset for all activists and educators – current and future – working in the critical intersection of gun violence and trauma.  Furthermore, by leveraging our particular areas of expertise (community education, social media marketing, and art advocacy) to aid existing advocates, organizations, and educators, we are “doing our part” by helping the groups that are already working in this area (but lack the resources and know-how to make their efforts cohesive).  Lastly, Indiana University has generously provided us access to their full-time grant writer so that, in partnership with the federally funded Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives, we can use the City of Minneapolis’s “start up” contribution to make All Bullets Shatter a sustainable and nationally-recognized resource and model for gun violence and trauma advocacy.

Works Cited:

​

• Mannix, Andy, and Jeff Hargarten. “Minneapolis Closes in on Homicide Milestone at End of Violent Year.” Star Tribune, Star Tribune, 30 Dec. 2021, https://www.startribune.com/a-most-violent-year-in-minneapolis/600131444/.

• Flood, Hannah. “Minneapolis Youth Gun Violence Rises Last Three Years.” FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, 11 Feb. 2022, https://www.fox9.com/news/minneapolis-youth-gun-violence-rises-last-three-years.

• “Gun Violence Archive 2022” Gun Violence Archive, 9 April, 2022. https://www.gunviolencearchive.org

• Tull, Matthew. “Coping with PTSD Symptoms Following a Shooting.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 15 Nov. 2021, https://www.verywellmind.com/shooting-ptsd-from-a-shooting-2797200#:~:text=Being%20exposed%20to%20gun%20violence,%2C%20intrusive%20thoughts%2C%20and%20hypervigilance

• “ How Common is PTSD?” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD, https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp#:~:text=Facts%20about%20How%20Common%20PTSD%20Is&text=About%206%20out%20of%20every,have%20gone%20through%20a%20trauma

• Carlile, Andrea. “One Person's PTSD Can Affect a Whole Family.” Military.com. https://www.military.com/benefits/veterans-health-care/ptsd-can-affect-whole-family.html#:~:text=Family%20members%20of%20people%20with,can%20bring%20on%20those%20symptoms

• https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/cooccurring/tx_sud_va.asp

• Ardino V. (2012). Offending behaviour: the role of trauma and PTSD. European journal of psychotraumatology, 3, 10.3402/ejpt.v3i0.18968. https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v3i0.18968

• Childers, Angela. “Mental distress costs employers $5,000 per worker each year.” Business Insurance. May 13, 2021. https://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20210513/NEWS08/912341825/Mental-distress-costs-employers-$5,000-per-worker-each-year-National-Safety-Coun

• Hill, Catey. “What PTSD costs families.” MarketWatch. April 4, 2014. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-ptsd-costs-families-2014-04-04

•  Ivanova, Jasmina I., et al. “Cost of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder vs Major Depressive Disorder Among Patients Covered by Medicaid or Private Insurance” AJMC. August 9, 2011. https://www.ajmc.com/view/ajmc_11julaug_ivanova_e314to23

• Campbell, M., Decker, K. P., Kruk, K., & Deaver, S. P. (2016). Art Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy for Combat-Related PTSD: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Art therapy : journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 33(4), 169–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2016.1226643

• Caizzi C. “Embodied Trauma: Using the Subsymbolic Mode to Access and Change Script Protocol in Traumatized Adults.” Transactional Analysis Journal. 2012;42(3):165-175. doi:10.1177/036215371204200302

• “About Art Therapy.” American Art Therapy Association, 2022. https://arttherapy.org/about-art-therapy/

• ​ Schouten, Karin Alice, et al. “The Effectiveness of Art Therapy in the Treatment of Traumatized Adults: A Systematic Review on Art Therapy and Trauma.” Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, vol. 16, no. 2, 2015, pp. 220–228., https://redpencil.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/The-effectiveness-of-art-therapy.pdf