Kevin Cole: Soul Ties

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.