We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nikki McComb a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nikki, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I have always been creative but I do wish that I had started to activate my talents much earlier in life, had I started sooner I may have accomplished more to date and reached more young people and families affected by trauma
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I developed a public safety campaign titled The #ENOUGH campaign that uses art as a catalyst for change and social disruption. Taking on the unsolvable problem of illegal firearms, I use photographs and video to reach people from the street level to the legislative arena and to help provide communities an outlet where they feel safe enough to seek help, empowered enough to give help, provoked enough to work harder to unify, and unified enough to make change collectively through art. For 25-plus years, I have applied my artistic interests and skills to working relentlessly in North Minneapolis and surrounding communities in youth and family achievement. In addition to being an art educator, I am the owner of Art Is My Weapon, an organization whereby local artists select decommissioned guns to then create new work for display. I am the first ever CURA Evictions project resident artist who developed “The Moving Walls of Minneapolis” exhibition in partnership with CURA. I was also the assigned artist to the ReCast YPAR partnership with North News and the City of Minneapolis. In 2017 and the recipient of The Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship, a 2016 recipient of a Micro Grant for photography, a 2014 and 2015 recipient of several community leadership awards in the arts. I have executed 10 curated exhibitions in the community under Art is My Weapon and I am currently preparing for the 11 th Art is My Weapon Exhibition at the Hennepin County Cargill Library in 2023.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
The ultimate goal is to offer those affected by trauma to heal and process. I am also very dedicated to trying to change the trajectory of the lives of young people facing disparities that lead to violence using art as a catalyst for change. An extension program of Art is my Weapon isThe Healing heARTS Program. Art is My Weapon MN aims to use art and creativity to spark social change in issues such as Youth violence, Peer and community violence (which often includes gun violence and gang/group violence), Intimate partner violence (physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner), suicide.
The Healing HeART Program addresses young people and families affected by gun violence, peer, and community violence. The project will focus on north Minneapolis and surrounding areas with a focus on the Office of Violence Prevention Program referred youth and families.
Often families who have experienced a traumatic event involving gun violence have little or no time to process and or heal. The Healing HeART Program will allow City and state violence prevention programs and or groups to refer youth and families to the program to participate in healing art spaces to learn to cope and begin to heal the HeART.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
My greatest rewards come from the change in lives that I see when art and creativity is introduced. Most often young people distrust adults in education and other settings. Bringing art in the door can change that. Art is tied to positive health outcomes or changes in lifestyle and or living because of an action; the tie between artistic engagement and how a human being responds to negatives after a positive artistic experience are immeasurable. To be a bit more specific, there is evidence that engagement with artistic activities, either as a person just watching or a person participating in the engagement can enhance one’s moods, emotions, and other psychological states as well as have a heavy impact on important decision making in the future.
Art is My Weapon youth that have engaged in creative activities have the potential to contribute toward reducing bad choices, and negative outcomes and can serve to enhance the level of ability to become a stand-up members of their communities.
Contact Info:
- Website: artismyweapon.org
- Instagram: @artismyweapon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artismyweaponmn