Willie Cole facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Willie Cole
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| Born |
Willie Cole
January 3, 1955 New Jersey, United States
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts, New York |
| Known for | Sculpture, Painting, Visual Arts |
| Awards | 2006 David C. Driskell Prize |
Willie Cole (born in 1955 in Somerville, New Jersey) is a famous American artist. He creates amazing sculptures, prints, and other kinds of art. Cole is known for taking everyday items and turning them into powerful artworks. His art often uses ideas and images from Africa and African-American history. He also gets ideas from art movements like Dada and Surrealism, which changed how people thought about art.
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How Willie Cole Makes Art
Willie Cole is famous for using ordinary things to make art. He finds common household items like irons, ironing boards, high-heeled shoes, hair dryers, and bicycle parts. He also uses wooden matches and old appliances. Cole then puts these items together to create new and imaginative artworks.
He once said that objects seem to "find him" rather than him looking for them. He sees an object and suddenly knows what he can create with it. Cole enjoys exploring all the possibilities of these items. He challenges himself to make "anything out of everything and everything out of anything." He often works on a series of artworks using the same type of object until he feels he has mastered it. For example, he made art from irons for 15 years before moving on to bicycles.
Using Irons in Art
In 1989, Cole became well-known for his art made with steam irons. He used the scorch marks from irons on different materials. These marks were not just decorative. They also connected to Cole’s African-American background. He used the marks to suggest the difficult history of slavery and the important role of Black women in homes. The patterns also reminded people of Ghanaian cloth designs and Yoruba gods.
Giving New Meaning to Objects
When Cole uses many of the same objects in his sculptures, they gain new, deeper meanings. His art can also make us think about our consumer culture. This means how we buy and use things. Cole's art is often seen as "postmodern eclecticism." This is a style that mixes different ideas and images. He combines African and African-American art with ideas from Dada (using "found objects") and Surrealism (transforming objects). He also uses symbols from American pop culture and African or Asian masks. All these ideas come together in his unique and clever artworks.
Some of Cole's art also lets people interact with it. These are called interactive installations. They can be like simple game boards where chance plays a part, and viewers can physically engage with the art.
Anne Klein With a Baby in Transit
One of Cole's artworks from 2009 is called "Anne Klein With a Baby in Transit." For this piece, he used old high-heeled shoes to show a mother and child. The worn black shoes look like traditional African sculptures. This artwork was given to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts by the Brenden Mann Foundation.
Cole's work is also part of the Before Yesterday We Could Fly exhibition. This is an Afrofuturist display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Willie Cole's Art Shows
Solo Exhibitions
Willie Cole has had many art shows where only his work is displayed. Here are a few examples:
- 2019: "Willie Cole: Bella Figura," in New York, NY
- 2019: "Willie Cole: Beauties," at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
- 2017: "Willie Cole: Made in Newark," in Newark, NJ
- 2017: "Making Everything Out of Anything: Prints, Drawings, and Sculptures by Willie Cole," at the Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
- 2016 - 2017: "Willie Cole: On-Site," shown at several universities including University of Maryland
- 2015: "Willie Cole: Aquaphilic," at Boston University, Boston, MA
- 2015: "Willie Cole: Transformations," at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
- 2013 - 2014: "Complex Conversations: Willie Cole Sculptures and Wall Works," shown at many locations like Western Michigan University
- 2013 - 2014: "E Pluribus Unum," at Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ
Group Exhibitions
Cole's art has also been part of many shows featuring works by different artists:
- 2017: "Operation Chromebody," in Minneapolis
- 2015: "Surrealism: The Conjured Life," at the MCA Chicago
- 2011: "Reconfiguring an African Icon: Odes to the Mask by Modern and Contemporary Artists from Three Continents," at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
About Willie Cole's Life
Early Life and Education
Willie Cole was born in 1955 in Somerville, New Jersey. He later moved to Newark, New Jersey, where he discovered his love for art. He once said that he felt like he was an artist even as a very young child. His family always encouraged him. Cole took art classes at the Newark Museum and later attended the Arts High School of Newark.
He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1976. He continued his art studies at the Art Students League of New York until 1979. Today, Willie Cole lives and works in Mine Hill, New Jersey.
His Career Journey
In 1978, Cole worked as a graphic designer. This was part of a government program that helped artists find jobs. His first big art show was in 1989 at the Franklin Furnace Gallery in New York City. In 1990, he was an Artist-In-Residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. This means he worked and created art there for a period.
Willie Cole has received many important awards for his art:
- 1991: The Penny McCall Foundation Grant
- 1995: The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant
- 1996: A Joan Mitchell Foundation Award, which helps artists with money and support
- 2000: Artist-in-residence at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center
- 2002: The Augustus Saint-Gaudens Memorial Fellowship for new artists
- 2006: The David C. Driskell Prize, which honors contributions to African-American art and art history
Cole's art is shown by Alexander and Bonin Gallery in New York and by Guido Maus, beta pictoris gallery / Maus Contemporary in Birmingham, AL. In 2023, the Pérez Art Museum Miami bought his artwork With a Heart of Gold.
