Building Community from the Inside Out

By Kristoffer Knutson

Community happens when people come together. That’s what’s been building for a group of Art From the Inside artists since March of 2025. AFTI’s Creative Pathways Fellowship is a newly formed holistic support program designed to empower formerly incarcerated artists by fostering personal growth, wellness, and professional development. With support from the Minnesota Humanities Center, the program consists of bi-weekly Zoom meetings focused on mutual support, creative skill-building, and wellness practices. Following an open application process in early 2025, eleven artists were selected for the inaugural Fellowship. Together, the Fellows are supporting one another’s growth while building mindfulness skills and professional practice to prepare for successful futures. 

“It isn’t about what we did, it’s about who we are now.” - Roberto, Fellowship Participant

We recently wrapped our first series of eight gatherings and are now midway through our summer/fall session. Each meeting begins with a guided, grounding exercise and the opportunity for individual check-ins with the group. This is followed by dedicated time for presentations from guest speakers and, starting in this latest series, presentations from Fellowship members themselves.

Our first round of meetings welcomed guest artist Christopheraaron Deanes, co-facilitator and co-author of AFTI’s inaugural Art and Wellness Fellowship for artists on the inside at MCF-Shakopee and MCF-Faribault. He shared his experience as a working artist in today’s world. Participants got an inside look at Deanes’ studio practice, his approach to defining his own creative voice, and how he’s built a network of resources to support his success as an artist. 

Additionally, visiting speaker Tahmi Perzechilli introduced participants to mindfulness exercises focused on creative expression and poly-vagal response calming (a method that helps regulate the nervous system and ease stress). Tahmi’s experience in trauma-informed practices as a Professional Clinical Counselor and Alcohol and Drug Counselor brought great insight into the connections between body, mind, and spirit for all of the participants and even helped to further one Fellow’s interest in pursuing EFT (tapping therapy) studies. 

And finally, the first session culminated in an inspiring group outing with the artists to see the GIANTS exhibition at Minneapolis Institute of Art. It was the first time many of the participants met in person, outside of the Zoom meetings. 

In our current session, Fellows are gaining the confidence to move from simply being participants in the meetings to facilitating discussions and sharing their perspectives on topics like leadership skills and self-reflection through poetry. Several Fellows are also serving on the planning committee for Art From the Inside’s upcoming Justice Summit later in the year. Other highlights of our second session include a thoughtful conversation on self-compassion with Molly Evans—founder of Restorative Reiki Health & Wellness and co-facilitator/co-author of the Shakopee and Faribault Art and Wellness Fellowship program—and a dynamic two-part collage workshop with visual artist, graphic designer, and founding creative director at Def Jam Recordings, Cey Adams of Brooklyn, New York. Having Cey offer his legendary experience, creative techniques, and genuine encouragement to the group has been an incredible culmination of all we’ve worked towards together.

“I look forward to this every two weeks. It’s my family.” - Jennifer, Fellowship Participant

These shared experiences rooted in creativity and building participants’ self-confidence continue to deepen the sense of trust and connection among the Fellows. The Creative Pathways Fellowship is more than a program, it’s a community of artists supporting one another as they create new pathways forward on the outside. 

If you or someone you know is a formerly incarcerated artist interested in participating in future Fellowship opportunities please reach out to artfromtheinsidemn@gmail.com for more information.