If We Had Our Way—Experiencing Joy in the Lives of Women and Girls: Douglas Redd and Jeffrey Cook

December 1 – 31, 2014

“If We Had Our Way—Experiencing Joy in the Lives of Women and Girls,” featuring the photography of Douglas Redd and Jeffrey Cook, is a cultural response to the ongoing abductions of girls and young women in Nigeria. Between 300—500 young women and girls have been abducted since April by Islamist militants. Baba Douglas Redd, an accomplished graphic artist, sculptor, print maker and jeweler, was committed to service, the community and work that supports and promotes African and African American values, ethos, culture and symbols. Jeffrey Cook was a dancer and visual artist whose legacy is his humanity, his philosophy of human dignity, his loyalty to friends and his passion about life, history, community and family. This photographic exhibition presents the joy of young women and girls in an attempt to reflect on the schoolgirls abducted by Islamist militants as we pay tribute to their lives and their grace and beauty.