Healing Arts is a global campaign by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab in collaboration with the World Health Organization
Healing Arts is a global campaign by the Jameel Arts & Health Lab in collaboration with the World Health Organization
29 January 2026 | 6 - 8PM 20 Cooper Square, 1st Floor Gallery, NY, 10003
Through emotional and powerful images, the exhibition explores the profound impact of mass incarceration on individuals, families, and communities.
On Thursday, January 29, 2026 from 6:00 - 8:00PM, TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image (TILT) and Center for Black Visual Culture at the Institute of African American Affairs, New York University unveils Wherever There Is Light, an extraordinary traveling exhibition featuring the photography of four formerly incarcerated artists: José Díaz, Don “Ike” Jones, Vernon Ray, and Akeil Robertson, as they share their experiences within the United States penal system. Through emotional and powerful images, the exhibition explores the profound impact of mass incarceration on individuals, families, and communities. The show is curated by Dr. Melanee C. Harvey and is led by Washington, D.C.-based photographer Larry W. Cook, whose work will also be featured in the exhibit.
Wherever There Is Light: Philadelphia was supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. The Traveling of the exhibition is supported by Mellon Foundation.
Exhibiting artists include José Díaz, Don “Ike” Jones, Vernon Ray, Akeil Robertson, and Larry Cook. Through digital photography, portraits, and vernacular photography, these artists share their personal stories and perspectives of the prison system, offering an intimate and powerful exploration of life within and beyond incarceration. They also explore themes that invite audiences to reflect, connect with others, and envision a fairer world.
Wherever There Is Light originally began in 2020 when Cook constructed a studio and exhibition space at the Los Angeles art gallery, The Canary Test, for five photographers with carceral experience to share their stories and craft through traditional studio portraiture. TILT Institute in Philadelphia, PA, and Cook collaborated in 2023-2024 on an extended iteration of the project. TILT’s mission is to support and create space for photographers and image-makers that offers resources, education, professional skill building, networking, and space to engage in socially conscious dialogues,” said Sarah Stolfa, President, CEO, and Artistic Director of TILT. “TILT wants to support projects like Wherever There Is Light and help give a platform to working artists who don’t come from an academically trained space for various societal and financial reasons. Exhibitions like Wherever There Is Light bring conversation and discourse about the carceral state and how it impacts our communities.” The exhibition catalog documenting the creative processes of the artists featured and with essays by exhibition curator Melanee C. Harvey, Ph.D, will be available for purchase at the exhibition opening on January 29 from 6:00 to 8:00 for $25 or on the Wherever There is Light Website. Read More
