Nikki McComb | Taken

McComb is a documentary photographer and social justice activist whose topics have included gun violence, bullying in schools, and slum lord housing practices and evictions.

Most of her projects start by addressing social concerns in the North Minneapolis neighborhood she lives in but have much broader reach in our community because of the people and agencies she partners with, works for, or has been recognized by. McComb refers to herself as an artivist because her photography and community organizing together inspire people, where one without the other would not.

“Nikki McComb’s artwork makes a better society because it breaks through our collective numbness to deep social problems like gun violence and racism. Most of us participate in a hypnotizing myth that we don’t know what to do to improve things. We sleepwalk through tragedies and injustices, allowing trauma to accumulate,” says guest curator, John Schuerman. “McComb’s artwork wakes us and gets us to care enough to act. Her photos elicit empathy and her work with victims and community members brings people together for collective actions, such as, ‘if you see something, say something,’ and voting for common sense gun laws.”

We say that photos are taken, but in fact, they are made and document a moment with a photographic record. Lives are literally taken with guns, and liberties are taken through racism and systemic abuses of power. The system robs you twice: first, prejudicially, and then by causing cycles of violence that form within; those who have been taken often perpetrate their own taking, in forms such as bullying or more gun violence. McComb’s artwork addresses both the system and the violence within.

Event Dates
The public opening reception, 5–7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 20, also features a gallery talk by the artist at 7 p.m. The gallery is located at the university’s Saint Paul Campus on the third floor of the Library and Learning Center, 645 East Seventh Street.

Gallery Hours
Monday - Thursday: 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Note: Due to COVID19 protocols, the gallery is only accessible to students, faculty, and staff during gallery hours. Everyone else that would like to see the exhibition beyond the reception must please contact Professor Erica Rasmussen at 651-999-5942 or erica.rasmussen@metrostate.edu.