{"id":13287,"date":"2022-08-16T00:13:34","date_gmt":"2022-08-16T00:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/media-archive.blackartinamerica.com\/?p=13287"},"modified":"2022-08-16T10:20:59","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T10:20:59","slug":"the-tragic-beauty-of-kevin-cole-coles-new-moca-ga-exhibit-wonders-where-do-we-go-from-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earthexhibitions.org\/media-archive\/?p=13287","title":{"rendered":"The Tragic Beauty of Kevin Cole: Cole\u2019s new MOCA GA exhibit wonders, Where do we go from here?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n

The Tragic Beauty of Kevin Cole:<\/h1>\r\n

Cole\u2019s new MOCA GA exhibit wonders, Where do we go from here?<\/h2>\r\n
By D. Amari Jackson<\/pre>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
Although Kevin Cole is not running for office, the renowned artist has been well known to publicly promote the power of the ballot box. So much so that his new exhibition, Where do we go from here?<\/em>,<\/em>\u00a0highlights Cole\u2019s ongoing exploration into the contested electoral themes of gerrymandering and voting rights. Replete with new works, the exhibition<\/a> runs at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) from August 20 to October 15 with an opening reception on August 19th.<\/p>\r\n
\"\"
Kevin Cole, Artist\/Educator<\/p><\/div>\r\n
For Cole, voting runs in his blood the way it ran from the Black bodies that came before him. As an Arkansas youth indifferent to the ballot box, his 91-year-old grandfather painted a picture that Cole would never forget.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cWhen I turned eighteen years old, my grandfather told me about a tree on his property where African-American men had been lynched by their neckties on their way to vote,\u201d recounts Cole, from his exhibit statement. \u201cThe experience left a profound impression. I am personally tethered to this inescapable memory.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
This profound experience would play a significant role in inspiring Cole\u2019s extraordinary four-decade career in art. Known for his ironic yet colorful integration of beauty and tragedy within the same space\u2014particularly his production of vibrant, curvilinear neckties to symbolize nooses\u2014Cole\u2019s art has been featured in close to 500 exhibitions across the globe and graces over 4,000 public, private, and corporate collections. He is the recipient of dozens of art awards, teaching awards, grants, and fellowships, including the 2020 Governor\u2019s Award for the Arts and Humanities from the State of Georgia and a 2018 induction into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. Along with his more than 45 public artworks, among them the Coca-Cola Centennial Olympic Mural for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Cole\u2019s art graces such prestigious collections as the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian, the Georgia Museum, the High Museum of Art, the William Jefferson Clinton Library, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the David C. Driskell Center University of Maryland at College Park. A member of the legendary artist collective, AfriCOBRA, since 2003, Cole has taught and lectured at numerous institutions around the country.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n
But for all his national acclaim, Cole has devoted a substantial part of his career to ensuring that no one will ever forget the tragic and antidemocratic challenges that inspired both his stunning art and his grandfather\u2019s early intervention.<\/p>\r\n
\"\"
“Ballot Box Series Blackeye Peas” by Kevin Cole<\/p><\/div>\r\n
\u201cBeing from Arkansas, I’m familiar with the poll tax,\u201d says Cole, whose Ballot Box<\/em> series is also incorporated into the MOCA exhibit. \u201cThey would ask Black folks a lot of stupid questions like, \u2018How many bubbles are there in a bar of soap?\u2019 or \u2018How many black-eyed peas [are] in the bag?\u2019 Prompted by the electorally-based writings of the late Dr. Ron Walters, Cole further researched the voting process and got friends to ask their parents and grandparents about their voting experiences.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cMan, I got a lot of crazy answers,\u201d acknowledges Cole, who resides in the Atlanta area. \u201cThe sad thing is, with a lot of the people, they are still<\/em> afraid.\u201d He relays the story of a potential Black voter in Floyd County, GA who was once asked by an election official, \u201cHow many bullets in the box?\u201d Then, continues Cole, the official took the \u201cbox of bullets, poured them on his table, and asked if he had three house Negros and four field Negros\u2014but he obviously didn\u2019t say the word \u2018Negros\u2019\u2014how many bullets would it take to kill all seven of them<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\r\n
\u201cKevin is a very creative person who has dedicated his life to the art, and I think that social justice is in the forefront of everything he does as it relates to voting,\u201d says Garbo Hearne, of Hearne Fine Art in Little Rock, Arkansas. Hearne\u2019s gallery has represented Cole\u2019s work since 2001. \u201cI think this upcoming exhibit is gonna push that envelope a little further regarding the poll tax and how African Americans are treated,\u201d offers Hearne, noting that \u201cit\u2019s amazing to me how many people are not aware of what sacrifices were made by our ancestors so that we could vote. Kevin keeps this in the forefront of his artwork.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
\"\"
“Ballot Box” by Kevin Cole<\/p><\/div>\r\n
Gerrymandering\u2014the practice of manipulating the boundaries of an electoral constituency to favor one party\u2014will also play a large role in the MOCA exhibit. \u201cI picked out seven of the southern states which I call the \u201cDirty South\u201d and cut those shapes out of aluminum, and I got dirt from those states,\u201d explains Cole. \u201cAnd where you see the dirt is where gerrymandering takes place.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\r\n
As a student with a speech impediment, growing up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in the 1960s, Cole was no stranger to having dirt thrown his way. \u201cMy mom would tell me to make her a picture when I came home and told her how my classmates made fun of me speaking,\u201d Cole once told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.<\/em> \u201cShe told me I was special [because] I could speak with my talent.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
\"\"
“Dirty South Arkansas” by Kevin Cole<\/p><\/div>\r\n
His talent was not limited to art as Cole excelled in sports and academics in high school along with his regular art classes. Upon receiving scholarship offers in all of these areas, Cole, with the encouragement of his art teacher, pursued art at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Cole notes that there were several art educators at the school \u201cwho changed my life\u201d and \u201cshowed me that I could be an artist.\u201d With such encouragement, he would go on to receive an M.A. in Art Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana and an M.F.A. from Northern Illinois University where he excelled as a Rhoden Smith Scholar. Cole is one of the few artists to get two master\u2019s degrees in two years.<\/p>\r\n
Among others, Cole credits Sam Gilliam as a major artistic influence and Radcliffe Bailey\u2019s work as an ongoing inspiration. \u201cIf you look at my approach, I would say it\u2019s similar to artists like Norman Lewis and Sam Gilliam,\u201d acknowledges Cole, pointing out how Lewis \u201cdealt with social issues, but they were more abstract. I had a good relationship with Sam Gilliam as well,\u201d he says of the recently deceased abstractionist. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n
\"\"
“Dirty South Alabama” by Kevin Cole<\/p><\/div>\r\n
\u201cPeople say \u2018abstract,\u2019 but the process is real,\u201d contends Cole. \u201cMy work is based on situations. For instance, the reason I use wood is because African Americans were lynched by their neckties on a tree<\/em>.\u201d Another example, he explains, is how \u201cI started working with aluminum after September 11th because I was supposed to be in New York that day and a friend of mine took a picture of a little boy holding a piece of tar paper and aluminum. And then you think about the planes, they were made out of metal. So every medium I use has to do with some type of situation.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\r\n
Cole is also known to apply positive titles to works that speak to tragic or inequitable situations. \u201cHis titles are very positive and forward thinking,\u201d affirms Hearne, characterizing Cole\u2019s method of \u201ctaking that negative and positive together\u201d as \u201chistory making, while also giving people the power to think outside the box. So I think he\u2019s an artist whose found his signature approach,\u201d continues Hearne, adding that \u201cyou don\u2019t have to really look at his name to know who it is.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
\"\"
“Living Between the Black and White Lines Arizona” by Kevin Cole<\/p><\/div>\r\n
Cole\u2019s signature approach will be on full display at the MOCA exhibit, Kevin Cole: Where do we go from here?<\/em>, starting with the Opening Reception on August 19th<\/sup> at 7pm. Major funding for the two-month exhibition is being provided by the Charles Loridans Foundation, the Antinori Foundation, and the AEC Trust, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.<\/p>\r\n
The exhibit will further encapsulate the lengthy and successful career of a talented artist well-versed in the integration of art and social justice, of tragedy and beauty. When asked if African-American artists should have an inherent artistic responsibility to their culture, fittingly, Cole\u2019s ultimate answer\u2014like his colorful, provocative work\u2014is abstract, yet real.<\/p>\r\n
\"\"
“We Too Sing America GA” by Kevin Cole<\/p><\/div>\r\n
\u201cI think, automatically, if you\u2019re a Black artist, you can\u2019t forget that<\/em>,\u201d chuckles Cole, reiterating \u201cthat\u2019s just automatic.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
\u201cBut in the real world, the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue,\u201d continues Cole. \u201cAnd they\u2019re gonna be red, yellow, and blue all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s how you use that red, yellow, and blue.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
\"\"<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
Browse and shop for fine art from our growing network of artists, collectors, estates, galleries \u2014 specializing in works by Black American artists with great values on premier art.<\/p>\r\n
START COLLECTING ART<\/h1>\r\n
Sign up for our\u00a0free\u00a0email course<\/u><\/a>\u00a0on how to begin your collection.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n
\"\"AMARI JACKSON<\/strong> \u00a0<\/b>is a creator, author, TV\/web\/film producer, and award-winning journalist. He is author of the 2011 novel,\u00a0The Savion Sequence<\/i>; creator\/writer\/coproducer of the 2012-2014 web series The Book Look<\/i>; writer\/coproducer of the 2016 film Edge of the Pier<\/i>; and current writer\/coproducer of\u00a0Listen Up!<\/i>\u00a0on HBCU GO\/Roku TV. He is a former Chief of Staff for a NJ State Senator; a former VP of Communications & Development for the Jamestown Project at Harvard University; and a recipient of several writing fellowships including the George Washington Williams Fellowship from the Independent Press Association. An active ghost writer, song writer, martial artist, and journalist, his writings have appeared in a wide variety of national and regional publications.<\/p>\r\n
Would you buy stock in BAIA if you could?<\/strong>\u00a0Well we invite you to join us in becoming a monthly supporter, starting at just $3 a month YOU become a stakeholder and begin to help us transform lives through art. We are growing the BAIA team and will use your contributions to hire more team members for the purpose of creating more educational and marketing resources for schools and universities about african american artists both past and present. Such art initiatives and educational programming like Blacklite with Steve Prince, Relating to Art with Dr. Kelli Morgan, and BAIA BITS would not be possible without the ongoing support of our Patreon members. Please consider becoming a monthly Patreon member today!<\/p>\r\n
Review our list of rewards for becoming a BAIA\u00a0Patreon<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\/ patron supporter. Your monthly contribution has lasting benefits. \u2014 \u201cWhat will your legacy be\u201d \u2013 Dr. Margaret Burroughs<\/p>\r\n
Thank you new and recurring monthly<\/span> Patrons<\/h1>\r\n
Deloris and Eddie Young, Esther Silver-Parker, Eugene Foney, Zadig & Voltaire, Petrucci<\/b>Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, John and Melanie Guess, Frank<\/b>Frazier, Houston Museum of African American Culture, Leslie Fields, Jim Nixon, Dr.<\/b>Michael Butler, Mary \u201cMadea\u201d Jones, Carolyn L. Mazloomi, <\/b><\/strong>Terry Whitt Bailey, Brenda k robinson, Greg Head, Deborah J Jackson, Deborah Griffin, Kimberly Wilson-Lawson, Gail Rogers, Natalie F Lawrence, Yvonne R Carter, Gillian Crocca Photography,\u00a0Eliesha Nelson<\/strong>, Gracie M Jamiah, Lyndale Pettus, Rev. Anita Marshall<\/strong>,\u00a0E L Greene, Devon Simpson, Sylvie Meyers, Edward Johnson, Jimmy S. Clark, Jr., Robert & Susan King, Jacqueline Boggan, Nanno Smith, Dindga McCannon, Jenae Gayle, Donald M Rubin, Maya, Jessica Bickett, Jewell T. Williams, Derek Nichols, Diana Mbr, Shavaughn Buckley, Jalisa Whitley, Kassi De Luna, Eric T McKissack, Tsedey Betru, Cheryl, Polk, Victor W Brown, Alnita Ann Holder, Sharon Butts, Gregory M Glore, Tanya Desdunes, Vernestine Laughinghouse, Arelia Jones, Shakira Pollard, Kimberly Esmond Adams, Patric McCoy, Bridget Griffin, Rayhart, Mikal Aziz, Patricia Goodwin, Rebecca Smith, Rita Alston,\u00a0Chris McNew<\/strong>, Sharyn Welch, Eunice Sykes, Paula DeJoie, Patricia S. Kearse, Cyderia Gates, Anita Askew Wharton, LaShanda Chirunga, Kree8tive DJ, Cynthia Hargrove, S Johnson, Darris L Shaw, Willa Bandler, Valerie A. Cooper, Paige Jernigan, Monique Johnson, Djibril N\u2019Doye, Zawadi, Paul Daniel Curtis, Dr. Karen Patricia Williamsm, Brenda Joyner, Christina, Robert Taylor, Takisia Whites, Stephanie Stephens,\u00a0Atiya Slaughter<\/strong>, Renee Williams Jefferson, Hope Elliott, Elaine Buchsbaum, Rosemarie Rogers, Frazier and Myra O\u2019Leary, Velma McLaurin-Bell, Judy Nyquist, Kate Gadd, R Simpson, Crystal Green, Denise Rogers, Tara, Faye Edwards, Trina Virginia Brooks, jack, Beverly S Ware, Raven Walthor, Paige Jernigan, Gregg Y., Loretta Y Blakely, Barbara Hayes, Sonia Pollard, Vince Leal, Lisa Tomlinson, Diane E Leifheit, Art Now After Hours, Suzette Davis, Alison Woods, PB Fine Art Appraisal, Peter Prinz, Vickie Townsend-Carter, Lindiwe Stovall Lester, Arturo Lindsay, Raynard Hall, Toby Sisson, Bernard W. Kinsey, Leslie Smith, Nelly Maynard, Terri Bowles, Otto Neals,\u00a0Ted Ellis<\/strong>, Bill Cook, SylviaWong Lewis, Donna Paxon, Nancy Maignan, Kimberly Smith, Tracy Russ, Gwen Meharg, Johnnie Mae Maberry, Zishan Evans, Arbrie Griffin Bradley, Sandra Sautner, Barbara Brown, Bronwen Hodgkinson,\u00a0Sonia Deane<\/strong>, January Hoskin, Quinton Foreman, Terri Pease, Annette Grrr, Elayne Gross, Ann Tankersley, Jacqueline Konan, Jerome Moore, India Still, Kim Dubois, Edwina King Diva E, Charlotte Bender, Phyllis Stephens, Judith Hamilton, Francene Greene, Caryliss R. Weaver, Sharmon Jane Hilfinger, Bill and Deborah Nix,\u00a0Joyce A<\/strong>, Wanda Baker-Smith, Emily Jean, C Harris, Morris Howard, Marie L Johnson, Ayoka Chenzira, Jean Gumpper, Dr. Darlene White,\u00a0Dr. Sandra Boyce Broomes<\/strong>, Michele C. Mayes, Rita Crittenden,\u00a0Beverly Grant<\/strong>, Linda B. Smith, Judith Bergeron, Emily Hegeman Cavanagh, Teri L,\u00a0Claudia Bell<\/strong>, Cooky Goldblatt, Danni Cerezo, Sarah Caputo, Christina Levine, Jessica Beckstrom, Pamela Hart, Tellis, Louise Berner-Holmberg, Carla Sonheim, Alison Deas, Monikapi, Ashley Littlefield, Pearlie Taylor, Marina Kovic, Sarah Rooney, Mitchell Shohet, Cheryl B Blankman, Petrina Burkard, Sarah Drury, Megan LaCroix, Kellyn Maguire, Sophia Bellino, Cory Huff, Wilhelmina Barker, Shelley Danzy, Rosalyn D. Elder, Karen Pinzolo, Desiree Dansan, Deborah Paige-Jackson, ALKEBU LAN IMAGES Bookstore, DeLores M Dyer, Shelia, Susan Ross, Carlton Cotton, Joan L. Ward, Jocelyn Benita Smith, Paul Robinson, Janice Orr, Patricia D Dungy, Shawn Rhea, Cheryl Odeleye, Runez M Bender, Karen Y House, M Belinda Tucker, Dr. Yonette Thomas, Diana Shannon Young, Harold Moore, Shurvon Haynes, K.Coleman, Dana Todd Pope, M. Rasheed, Jamal Love, Annette, Manuelita Brown, Gale Ross, KL Martin, Patricia D Dungy, Patricia A Thomas, Carolyn J Grantham, Lyla Correoso_thomas, Judith Braggs, Cheryl Odeleye, Jean ODonnell, Saundra Woods, D. Amari Jackson, Aisha J. Thomas, Lisa Brathwaite, Marcia T Gibson, Kathryn Anderson Weaver, Deadybones, Genevieve Marsh, Rene Lee, Deborah L. McCullough, Claudia Gibson-Hunter, William Rembert Sr, Pauline Mansfield, Richard Lewis, Patrica Nulls, DeVera Redmond<\/span><\/p>\r\n
 <\/p>\r\n
\"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n
We Appreciate Your Support<\/p>
Share this:<\/h3>