Lakeshore Campus hosts art inspired by power of voting

College of Lake County (CLC) is excited to host the fourth stop of artist and advocate Niki Johnson's “Pillars of Democracy: Unite & Rise” tour as it travels across Illinois. The free exhibit runs 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday, through June 28 in Room 34-207 at the Lakeshore Campus, 34 North Sheridan Road, Waukegan.

This traveling art exhibition, made possible through a Healing Illinois grant facilitated by Illinois Humanities in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Illinois Educational Fund, aims to unite communities in racial healing and civic participation through storytelling, conversation and art making.

The artwork at the center of the tour features four large-scale collaged portraits envisioning Lady Liberty, Justice, Freedom and Forward progress as four first-time voters from Milwaukee. Grounded in Wisconsin’s diverse landscapes, at dawn, day, dusk and night, the figures reflect the directional value of voting in guiding civic progress, and underscore how national values are lived, protected and renewed at the local level.

Built over a ten-month period, eight Milwaukee artists and nearly 70 volunteers joined Johnson in the studio to build the monumental artworks. “Pillars Of Democracy” is emblematic of the power of art to unite communities and the beauty of art in action.

Collaged out of discarded stencil paper of leftover spray paint from the installation of Shepard Fairy’s “Voting Rights Are Human Rights” mural and formally inspired by Bertha Boyd’s 1911 suffrage poster “Votes for Women,” this series unites over 100 years of voting rights art activism in material and design. It foregrounds the central role of women in the democratic process, uniting generations of creative resistance.

“As a series, I see these works as reflecting a fundamental truth: democracy is not static,” Johnson said. “It is shaped by those who show up, speak out, and most importantly, vote. Voting is both our inheritance and our promise–a means of shaping not only what we stand for, but where we’ve come from and who we dare to become.”

Events will also take place alongside the exhibit. All events are free and open to the public. These include:

• Community Conversation/Artist Talk- 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, June 17, at 31-33 North Genesee St., Waukegan, in Room S116

  Join Johnson, Jeanne Kearby from the League of Women Voters and Angelina Alfaro from the Center for Immigrant Progress for a combined artist talk and community conversation supporting democracy, equity and civic participation. Speeches will be followed by a written community activation exercise.

• Community Art Workshop- 6-8 p.m., Monday, June 22, at 111 North Genesee St., Waukegan, in Room N015

  This interactive workshop invites participants to explore identity, voice and civic engagement through artmaking and conversation. Led by Johnson, with guest artists Anya Ramos and Taylor Kemnitz, workshop participants will help build new artwork made from locally sourced newspapers and magazines and have the opportunity to have their voices added to a new video based artwork being created as the tour visits communities across the region.

“At the College of Lake County Lakeshore Campus, we believe education extends beyond the classroom and into the life of our community,” said Lakeshore Dean Jesus Ruiz. “This exhibition invites us to reflect on the power of civic participation, the importance of every voice and the role that art plays in inspiring dialogue, understanding and hope. We are proud to bring this experience to Waukegan and create a space where our diverse community can come together to explore the ideals that strengthen our democracy.”

For more information, contact Robin Hughes, Assistant to the Dean at the Lakeshore Campus, at rhughes2@clcillinois.edu or 847-543-2114. The college and the exhibit are closed Thursday, June 18.