'The Risk Worth Taking" exhibition by Kevin Cole, NIU '84

"The Risk Worth Taking” is an exhbition focused on the promise of democracy, a work in process for 250 years. The exhibitiondraws a personal narrative arc beginning with Jim Crow era stories told to the artist, Kevin Cole, by his grandfather, through early mentors at Historically Black University, Arkansas at Pine Bluff, AfriCOBRA artists, through the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles in 1993, the national stage with the 1996 Olympics Mural in Atlanta, the 9/11 attacks, and the current attacks on voting rights and gerrymandering. Kevin Cole earned his MFA from NIU's School of Art and Design in 1984. Exhibition Content Warning: This exhibition includes challenging imagery of racism and violence intended to provoke reflection.