For more than 30 years, artist Kevin
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Cole has created vibrant and
90 Carlton Street
colorful abstract forms that
Athens, Georgia 30602-1502
communicate the struggles
Kevin Cole: Soul Ties
www.georgiamuseum.org
and aspirations of the African
front panel: Kevin Cole, (American, b. 1960), “Spiritual Celebration
American experience.
Collection of the artist.
with Miles, Dizzy and Coltrane,” 1992. Mixed media, 85 x 125 inches.
back left panel: Kevin Cole (American, b. 1960), “Faith N Determination,” 2016. Mixed media, 40 x 30 x 8 inches. Collection of the artist.
January 25 – April 19, 2020 Georgia Museum of Art
T
he Atlanta-based artist and educator creates painted mixed-media constructions in wood, aluminum and paper that serve as a testimony to the depths of the human spirit. The exhibition “Kevin Cole: Soul Ties” celebrates the work of the Georgia Museum of Art’s 2020 Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award winner for his tremendous contribution to art in the state and beyond.
Cole’s examination of color shows his passion for artistic experimentation and deep appreciation for cultural heritage.
One of six children, Kevin Earlee Cole was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, in 1960 to Sam and Jessie Mae Cole, a mortician and a cafeteria worker. His formal art training began at the University of Arkansas, where he studied under teachers such as Henri Linton, John Howard, Earnest Davidson and Tarrance Corbin. After earning an undergraduate degree in art education, Cole received a master’s degree in painting and art education
Kevin Cole (American, b. 1960) “Seeking Blessing I,” 2011
from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, followed
Mixed media on wood
by a master of fine arts degree in drawing from Northern Illinois
47 x 78 x 11 inches. Collection of the artist.
University. He accepted his first job in 1985 as an art teacher “Seeking Blessing I” and “Faith N Determination,” for example,
at Camp Creek Middle School, beginning a long career in the
Cole’s examination of color shows his passion for artistic
Atlanta public school system.
experimentation and deep appreciation for cultural heritage. He
recall life challenges punctuated by personal and collective
absorbed the color theories of Josef Albers and Hans Hofmann
tragedies with a note of optimism from faith or conviction.
while a student, particularly Hofmann’s focus on color’s ability to convey three-dimensional space. Cole’s memories of the quilts
Music, both sacred and secular, influences many of Cole’s
his mother and grandmother made found a kinship with African
works. “Spiritual Celebration with Miles, Dizzy and Coltrane”
diasporic traditions in textile weaving and music. A member
refers to the rich history of African American music, highlighting
of the artist collective AfriCOBRA, Cole exhibits “expressive
the riffs and improvisation found in jazz, gospel, funk and hip
awesomeness” and luminosity (or “shine”), two tenets of the
hop through using alternating tensions of color and line in both
inspired [the necktie]
group’s artistic philosophy.
two-dimensional and three-dimensional form.
motif through an
The explosive curvilinear forms in Cole’s compositions come
Cole has maintained an active career as an educator and
from the most salient motif in his work: neckties. Cole’s grand-
studio artist, completing multiple commissions and attracting
father inspired this motif through an important lesson about the
prominent collectors. The Smithsonian National Museum
Cole’s grandfather
important lesson about
sacrifices made by those who lived during the Jim Crow era.
of African American History and Culture is one of many
When Cole turned 18, his grandfather took him to a tree where
prominent museums to collect his work. He has completed
those who lived during
African American men had been lynched by their neckties on
over 35 public art commissions, including the Coca-Cola
the Jim Crow era.
not only for his own future but to continue the legacy shaped by
the sacrifices made by
their way to vote. This convinced Cole that his vote was valuable,
Centennial Olympic Mural for the 1996 Olympic Games and “Soul Ties That Matter,” a 55-foot-long installation created
his ancestors. For Cole, the neckties are a foundational aspect
for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2018.
of his work, channeling memories of struggle and pain but also
Named Georgia State Artist of the Year in 1996, he has left an
personal triumph to inspire hope and change through his art.
indelible imprint on his adopted state.