Opening Reception: Willie Cole: On Site
Opening Reception: Willie Cole: On Site
Willie Cole is a New Jersey based artist, best known for assembling artifacts from our throwaway culture into iconic artworks. Cole is the 2006 winner of the Driskell Prize, the first national award to honor and celebrate contributions to the field of African American art and art history, given annually by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA. The exhibition is curated by Dorit Yaron, Deputy Director, and Professor Curlee R. Holton, Executive Director, at the David C. Driskell Center. It highlights work created by the artist during the last ten years; it features nineteen artworks, including a site-specific installation of a 20’ diameter chandelier made of recycled water bottles that will hang from the ceiling. Additionally, the exhibition includes a video installation documenting the creation of the Driskell Center’s chandelier. Willie Cole: On-Site focuses on works by Cole composed of two main materials: shoes and recycled water bottles. Both of these materials represent objects we use and discard, and both contain residue of the individuals who used those objects—the shoe keeps the shape, sweat, and smell of the person who wore it, while the bottle has the DNA (breath, spit, and soul) from the individual.
