DSU Presents Exhibition by Artist Kevin Cole

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Kevin Cole, with his etched aluminum work titled "Jacob's Ladder, Do Lord Remember Me."

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.”