Review: “A Lesson Before Dying” at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

The Pledge (2024) presents nine cast hands in symbolic gestures ranging from Christian iconography to popular culture to Black Power.

A white shelf holds three painted plaster hand sculptures—one light-skinned hand with fingers crossed, one dark-skinned hand forming a gesture known as “The Shocker,” and another dark-skinned hand clenched into a fist.

Kevin Demery’s “A Lesson Before Dying” is on view at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art through August 10, 2025 as part of the Charlotte Street Visual Artist Awards exhibition.

Review: “A Lesson Before Dying” at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art