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 Kevin Cole, with his etched aluminum work titled "Jacob's Ladder, Do Lord Remember Me."
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The Delaware State University is currently featuring the work of Atlanta artist Kevin Cole in an exhibition entitled "Seeking Higher Ground" from Oct. 3 to Nov. 11 in the DSU Arts Center/Gallery located in the William C. Jason Library on campus.
The 14-piece exhibition features works that include embossed prints, mixed media, aluminum works and other mediums. The Arts Center/Gallery -- which is located just inside the entrance of the William C. Jason Library -- is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The public can meet the artist during a reception in honor of the exhibition from 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 in the Arts Center/Gallery. Earlier that day, Mr. Cole will spend some time with DSU art students in the Department of Art classes that are going on that date.
Mr. Cole works in a range of mediums, using repetitive forms and color to create three dimensional structures that invite those who experience his work to reflect upon abstracted references to a necktie used for status, beauty, fashion and the destruction of human life. “Cole's work celebrates history, survival, and a personal memory of a time and place,” said Dr. Halima Taha, author of Collecting Works on Paper and Canvas (1998).
Both an artist and art educator, Mr. Cole, is a native of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and has resided in Atlanta, Ga. since 1985 where he has received numerous awards both as an artist and arts educator. He has a B.S. in Art Education from the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff; a M.A. Art Education / Painting from the University of Illinois; and M.F.A in Drawing from the Northern Illinois University.
A recurring theme in Mr. Cole’s works is necktie imagery, of which he offers the following explanation:
“When I turned eighteen years old, my grandfather stressed the importance of voting by taking me to a tree where he was told that African-Americans were lynched by their neckties on their way to vote. The experience left a profound impression in my mind. While evolving from a more expressionistic place to one of abstraction, the tie has also evolved. Since 1992, I have deeply explored the interplay between color and music, particularly influenced by the musical art forms born out of African American culture: such as jazz music, R&B, hip-hop, gospel, and Blues. Additionally, my journey has led me to the incorporation of other idioms and symbols that go beyond American existence.”