Delaware Community Mural Project
Information Session about Downtown Murals Set for Sept. 18 at Ross Art Museum
DELAWARE, Ohio – Nationally recognized artist and educator Brett Cook will discuss his public art installations Sept. 18 during an information session about “Art for Everyone: the Delaware Community Mural Project,” an initiative to bring two public art murals to the city next year.
The free, community event will begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 18 at Ohio Wesleyan University’s Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware.
Cook’s presentation will be followed by an opportunity for community conversation and input. This session provides the first opportunity for the community to meet the artistic lead for the local mural project. His practice focuses on relationship building: facilitating community dialogues that generate reflection, insight, and visions for the future.
Of his work, Cook states: “For over two decades, I have produced installations, exhibitions, curricula, and events widely across the United States, and internationally. My museum work features drawing, painting, photography, and elaborate installations that make intimately personal experiences universally accessible. My public projects typically involve community workshops and collaborative art, along with music, performance, and food to create a more fluid boundary between art making, daily life, and healing.”
Cook earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. His honors include the Lehman Brady Visiting Professorship at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the Richard C. Diebenkorn Fellowship at the San Francisco Art Institute; a 2014 inaugural A Blade of Grass Fellowship for Socially Engaged Art; and selection as a cultural ambassador to Nigeria as part of the U.S. Department of State’s 2012 smARTpower Initiative.
His work is in private and public collections including the Smithsonian/National Portrait Gallery, the Walker Art Center, and Harvard University.
For the Delaware Community Mural Project, Cook will partner with the Ross Art Museum, sites in the downtown, the City of Delaware, and community members to develop the works.
This local project has been supported by the Ohio Arts Council, Delaware County Commissioners, Ross Art Museum, and private donors. It aims to honor the history of Delaware and encourage momentum for public art in downtown, as described in the city’s masterplan.
Learn more about Cook at www.brett-cook.com and more about the Ross Art Museum at www.owu.edu/ross.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 90 undergraduate majors and competes in 25 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through Ohio Wesleyan’s signature OWU Connection program, students integrate knowledge across disciplines, build a diverse and global perspective, and apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.