Jon Coffelt
Encyclopedia
Johnny Lee Coffelt born (May 16, 1963) is an American
artist
who lives and works in Manhattan
in the Financial District
of New York City
. Coffelt paints, sculpts, sews, makes book arts and curates art exhibitions.
Shadrick) and John Henry Coffelt and has two sisters, Joanna and Janie. Coffelt was raised in the East Tennessee
mountains in the town of Palmer
and the community of Griffith Creek
near Whitwell
, Tennessee
. Coffelt has been painting since he was eight years old. It was his grandfather, John Ervin Coffelt who taught him how to paint. Coffelt still considers himself a colorist
. Carl Alton Shadrick, Coffelt's maternal grandfather, was a founding member of the Cumberland Methodist Church and was known regionally as a designer and maker of fine furniture. Shadrick had a television and radio show ministry for many years.
in the 1980s. Once he decided to devote his full energies to art he was commissioned by Jim Mitchell to paint over 100 works for the Parisian Department Store chain which helped launch his career as an artist. In 1987, He met Shawn Boley who is his long-term partner. In 1989 Coffelt received "Outstanding Ten Year Alumnus Award" from Southern Institute. Coffelt was the inaugural artist at Space One Eleven founded by Anne Arrasmith
and Peter Prinz, when it opened in 1989 in Birmingham, Alabama
.
In 1991 Coffelt was commissioned by Absolut Vodka
to kick off its "Absolut Statehood" campaign representing the state of Alabama
; the result was shown in a full-page ad in USA Today
, Time
, Out
and Science Digest
among others. Coffelt, 28 years old at the time, was the youngest artist ever commissioned by Absolut Vodka
.
From 1993 until 2001 Coffelt, with partner Shawn Boley and Janet Hughes, owned and operated Agnes (gallery)
, a gallery devoted to socially aware photography, short film/video and book arts.
From 1994 to 1996, Coffelt served as editor and publisher of Alabama Art Monthly, a first-of-its-kind art magazine in the state. In 2002 Coffelt closed the gallery in order to move to New York and give his own art undivided attention. Over the last several years his work has been shown across the United States and in several overseas exhibits.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
who lives and works in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in the Financial District
Financial District, Manhattan
The Financial District of New York City is a neighborhood on the southernmost section of the borough of Manhattan which comprises the offices and headquarters of many of the city's major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York...
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Coffelt paints, sculpts, sews, makes book arts and curates art exhibitions.
Background
Coffelt was born to Dorcas Ann (néeMarried and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Shadrick) and John Henry Coffelt and has two sisters, Joanna and Janie. Coffelt was raised in the East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
mountains in the town of Palmer
Palmer, Tennessee
Palmer is a town in Grundy County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 672 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Palmer is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
and the community of Griffith Creek
Griffith Creek, Tennessee
Griffith Creek, Tennessee is an unincorporated hamlet in Marion County, Tennessee, about midway between Palmer and Whitwell, at latitude roughly 35.284 and longitude roughly -85.55. The elevation is approximately 2,200 feet above sea level....
near Whitwell
Whitwell, Tennessee
Whitwell is a city in Marion County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,660 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Coffelt has been painting since he was eight years old. It was his grandfather, John Ervin Coffelt who taught him how to paint. Coffelt still considers himself a colorist
Colorist
In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates...
. Carl Alton Shadrick, Coffelt's maternal grandfather, was a founding member of the Cumberland Methodist Church and was known regionally as a designer and maker of fine furniture. Shadrick had a television and radio show ministry for many years.
Career
Coffelt's career began in the fashion industry designing clothing as well as fabric for Willi SmithWilli Smith
Willi Donnell Smith was one of the most successful young African-American fashion designers in fashion history. At the time of his death, his company Williwear Ltd...
in the 1980s. Once he decided to devote his full energies to art he was commissioned by Jim Mitchell to paint over 100 works for the Parisian Department Store chain which helped launch his career as an artist. In 1987, He met Shawn Boley who is his long-term partner. In 1989 Coffelt received "Outstanding Ten Year Alumnus Award" from Southern Institute. Coffelt was the inaugural artist at Space One Eleven founded by Anne Arrasmith
Anne Arrasmith
Anne Arrasmith is an American artist and curator who lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama. She co-founded and operates along with Peter Prinz the not-for-profit Space One Eleven. Arrasmith was a student of Edith Frohock while at University of Alabama at Birmingham.She and Peter Prinz founded...
and Peter Prinz, when it opened in 1989 in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
.
In 1991 Coffelt was commissioned by Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Skåne, in southern Sweden. Since July 2008 the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard who bought V&S Group from the Swedish government....
to kick off its "Absolut Statehood" campaign representing the state of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
; the result was shown in a full-page ad in USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Out
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
and Science Digest
Science Digest
Science Digest was a monthly American magazine published by the Hearst Corporation from 1937 through 1986. It initially had an 8 x 5 inch format with about 100 pages, and was targeted at persons with a high school education level...
among others. Coffelt, 28 years old at the time, was the youngest artist ever commissioned by Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Skåne, in southern Sweden. Since July 2008 the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard who bought V&S Group from the Swedish government....
.
From 1993 until 2001 Coffelt, with partner Shawn Boley and Janet Hughes, owned and operated Agnes (gallery)
Agnes (gallery)
Agnes was a Birmingham, Alabama photography gallery from 1993 to 2001. Shawn Boley, Jon Coffelt and Jan Hughes opened the gallery with the mission of attempting to raise awareness of social issues — such as cancer, AIDS, death and dying, the environment, homelessness, ethics, racism,...
, a gallery devoted to socially aware photography, short film/video and book arts.
From 1994 to 1996, Coffelt served as editor and publisher of Alabama Art Monthly, a first-of-its-kind art magazine in the state. In 2002 Coffelt closed the gallery in order to move to New York and give his own art undivided attention. Over the last several years his work has been shown across the United States and in several overseas exhibits.
Work
- In 1999 Coffelt was chosen to be part of an exhibit at The Birmingham Museum of ArtBirmingham Museum of ArtFounded in 1951, the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama today has one of the finest collections in the Southeast US, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts representing a numerous diverse cultures, including Asian, European, American,...
called "Galore: The Continuous Painting Wall." Other artists who participated in this exhibit include Lydia Dona, Dennis Hollingsworth, Ingo Meller, Thomas Nozkowski, and Leslie Wayne. It was curated by David MoosDavid MoosDavid Moos is the Curator of Contemporary Art at AGO Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.Moos went to Jesse Ketchum Public School in Yorkville, Toronto and then went on to Jarvis Collegiate, he received a doctorate in art history from Columbia University and is a contributing editor to Art Papers...
and in 2002 when Coffelt received the "City of Birmingham Distinguished Artist Award" http://www.magiccityart.com/artists/index.cfm?fuseaction=content&id=27 in Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham, AlabamaBirmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, David MoosDavid MoosDavid Moos is the Curator of Contemporary Art at AGO Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.Moos went to Jesse Ketchum Public School in Yorkville, Toronto and then went on to Jarvis Collegiate, he received a doctorate in art history from Columbia University and is a contributing editor to Art Papers...
wrote the foreword for the published catalog.
- In 2000 Michael Pittari, editor of Art PapersArt papersFileART PAPERS is a non-profit bimonthly magazine about contemporary art. Established in 1977 as the Atlanta Art Workers Coalition Ltd. Newsletter, it is the only critical arts magazine published in the Southeastern United States...
curated "Hypnotic Post: Atlanta Abstraction Now" at Swan Coach House Gallery, Coffelt was selected along with twelve other artists for "Post Hypnotic-Hypnotic Post" millennium celebration of the arts.
- In 2000, Coffelt's work was chosen for "House and Garden: Twists on Domesticity," at Space One Eleven, Birmingham, AL through a grant from the Andy WarholAndy WarholAndrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
Foundation for the Arts. The exhibition included the work of Karen Rich Beall also included a catalog with a foreword on Coffelt by David MoosDavid MoosDavid Moos is the Curator of Contemporary Art at AGO Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.Moos went to Jesse Ketchum Public School in Yorkville, Toronto and then went on to Jarvis Collegiate, he received a doctorate in art history from Columbia University and is a contributing editor to Art Papers...
. In this exhibition, Coffelt hand-sewed more than 250 miniature garments that were exhibited here using original fabrics from clothing surrendered by individuals across the country to produce exact replicas keeping the integrity of these pieces intact with the fabrics, shapes and seams of the garments. Coffelt calls these memory sculptures because most of the pieces came from a loved one.
- In 2002, Coffelt's work was selected to be part of "The Longest Winter" curated by Gean Moreno for Florida Atlantic UniversityFlorida Atlantic UniversityFlorida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
. This exhibition asks viewers to rethink notions of the domestic as the cookie-cut "normal" place it is often depicted to be. Moreno explains, "The artists in 'The Longest Winter' demonstrate that the domestic is the native ground of weird imaginations, of deranging methods and private methodologies."
- In 2007 Clayton ColvinClayton ColvinClayton Colvin is an American artist and Curator of Contemporary Art who lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama. He received a BA in Art History from New York University in 1999 and an MA Ed. Art Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2003...
curated "Art and Place II: Material at Hand" for Center for the Living Arts/Space 301 featuring the work of Coffelt and nine other artists. This exhibition deals with the influence that a sense of place can have on the artist. The focus here lies in the significance of medium in artists' work "and how their chosen media may also function as the content or the subject.
- Fall of 2008, Coffelt's work was selected to be part of "Mend: Love Life & Loss" curated by Mark Sloan for Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at College of CharlestonCollege of CharlestonThe College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...
School of the Arts in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. Other artists in this exhibition include Adrienne Antonson, Pinky BassPinky BassPinky M. M. Bass is an American photographer, known for her work in pinhole photography.Bass, a resident of Fairhope, Alabama, has exhibited at a number of museums including the Ashville Art Museum, Birmingham Museum of Art, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta,...
, Susan Harbage Page, Leslie Kneisel, Nava LubelskiNava LubelskiNava Lubelski is a contemporary artist who currently works and lives in Asheville, NC.-Background:Nava Lubelski was born and grew up in the SoHo section of New York City. She graduated from Hunter College High School in Manhattan in 1986 and earned a BA in Russian Literature and History from...
, Preston Orr, Marilyn Pappas, Mireille Vautier and Rachel Wright.
- For January/February 2009, "Fiberarts Magazine" featured Coffelt's "Miniature Clothing Project" in its Creative Process section. Coffelt uses cherished items of clothing to create miniature replica garments. Coffelt describes the miniatures as tiny symbols of people and events, folded in time.
Curatorial work
- "Contour: The Definitive Line" was curated by Jon Coffelt in 2006 and encompassed selections of drawing, painting, collage, installation and photography and included the work of many artists including Sara Garden ArmstrongSara Garden ArmstrongSara Garden Armstrong is an American artist who lives and works in New York City. Armstrong creates sculptures, paintings, drawings from miniature to wall size, artist's books, multimedia artworks involving computers sound and light, and constructs permanent installations in atrium spaces...
, Clayton ColvinClayton ColvinClayton Colvin is an American artist and Curator of Contemporary Art who lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama. He received a BA in Art History from New York University in 1999 and an MA Ed. Art Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2003...
, Lee IsaacsLee IsaacsLee Isaacs is an American photographer, living and working in Birmingham, Alabama.Isaacs studied pinhole photography with Pinky Bass. He has worked both with commercial and art photography. He works with photography seminars and teaches classes and workshops across the US.He has involved himself...
, and Sean SlemonSean SlemonSean Slemon is a South African artist who works in sculpture, installation and printmaking. He lives and works in New York City, New York...
.
Books
- Absolut Statehood: 51 Painters by Glenn O'Brien, Foreword by Michel Roux, Photography by Antonio Alia Guccione, 116 pgs. Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1993 Hardcover ISBN 0-89381-563-2
- The Art Assassin, Volume 1 by qi peng, 713 pgs. Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York Standard Copyright License, 2009 Hardcover Perfect Binding
- UpSouth by bell hooksBell hooksGloria Jean Watkins , better known by her pen name bell hooks, is an American author, feminist, and social activist....
, Emma Amos and Antoinette Spanos Nordan, University Press, University of Alabama, Birmingham, 1999, pp 70–73
External links
- Jon Coffelt
- "Familiar Reality"
- "Tapestry" Interview for National Public Radio
- New American Paintings. The Open Studios Press, Wellesley, Massachusetts, July 2001 Volume 6, Number 3 ISSN 1066-2235