League of Women Voters of Illinois Awarded Healing Illinois Grant
$40,000 grant will fund “Pillars of Democracy: Unite & Rise” tour through the League of Women Voters of Illinois Education Fund
Media Contacts:
Becky Simon, communications@lwvil.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHICAGO, IL, January 20, 2026 — The League of Women Voters of Illinois Education Fund (LWVILEF) has been awarded a $40,000 Healing Illinois Grant to support artist Niki Johnson’s Pillars of Democracy: Unite & Rise tour, an innovative statewide initiative using art, storytelling, and civic dialogue to advance democratic engagement.
The Pillars of Democracy: Unite & Rise tour centers on Artist Niki Johnson’s large-scale collaged portraits envisioning Lady Liberty, Justice, Freedom, and Forward progress as four first-time voters. Grounded in the Midwest'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.
“This grant affirms the League’s long-standing commitment to our democracy and its promise of inclusivity, participation, and racial equity,” says Becky Simon, president of the League of Women Voters of Illinois Education Fund.
Cindy Fey, chairperson of the League's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, adds, “Niki Johnson’s epic artwork and the League's pro-democracy advocacy together in the Pillars of Democracy: Unite & Rise tour creates accessible and meaningful spaces for communities to engage with difficult histories, envision a more just future, and strengthen democratic participation.”
A competitive selection process conducted by a Statewide/Multi-Region Intermediary Committee awarded the project's Healing Illinois Grant. Illinois Humanities will manage the fund, providing programmatic support, technical assistance, and access to statewide humanities resources for the tour.
The Pillars of Democracy: Unite & Rise tour will begin in Chicago this spring, then move to Schaumburg, Galesburg, and Springfield by early summer. The acclaimed artworks will be accompanied by artist-run workshops at each stop, providing opportunities for community conversation, reflection, and learning. This project invites participants across Illinois to explore how democracy, racial equity, and civic participation are deeply interconnected—and how healing practices can strengthen each.
“The work of this project is to demonstrate that democracy is not abstract. It’s built, sustained, and strengthened by each of us, right where we live. It lives in the choices we make and the values we uphold,” says Niki Johnson.
Over a ten month period between the fall of 2024 and the summer of 2025, Johnson and a team of Milwaukee-based artists and volunteers built the large-scale collaged artworks out of discarded stencil paper and leftover spray paint from Shepard Fairey’s 2020 installation of the Voting Rights Are Human Rights mural in downtown Milwaukee. Bertha Boyd’s 1911 suffrage poster Votes for Women inspired the format of the portraits. These sources infuse the series with the materials of contemporary protest and suffrage-era design. Pillars of Democracy foregrounds the role of women in the democratic process, the enduring power of the vote, and the way activist art advances movements of change.
For further information, contact the League of Women Voters of Illinois Education Fund at info@lwvil.org or by phone at (312) 624-8129. Contact Niki Johnson at info@nikijohnsonstudio.com for images for editorial use or questions pertaining to the artwork or tour.
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The League of Women Voters of Illinois is a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy and does not support or oppose any political parties or candidates. With over 100 years of experience and more than 800 local and state affiliations, the League is one of America’s most trusted grassroots organizations. For further information, visit lwvil.org.