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The techniques in her artwork combine washes of acrylic paint that take shape with colored pencils and pastels, serving as a visual conversation between two hemispheres – the creator and the corrector dancing through a changing process. The common thread in her work is emotional attachment to physical objects, and the power nostalgia has to unlock a memory.

Ginger Williams Cook - Artists - FERRARA SHOWMAN GALLERY

Biography

G I N G E R   W I L L I A M S   C O O K   | | |   @gingerwilliamscook

[lives & works - Jackson, MS ::: b. 1981, Jackson, MS]

 

GINGER WILLIAMS COOK is a painter, published illustrator, and arts educator based in Jackson, MS. Her paintings have been featured in numerous exhibitions, publications, and media. Ginger’s journey into motherhood and coping through art is featured in an HBO Documentary, The Dead Mothers Club. Her painting comparing phantom limb sensation to grief was selected as the documentary's featured poster. She is an avid sketchbook artist who cultivates an intuitive drawing practice to document the mundane. Ginger uses digital illustration to develop mockups, experimenting with imagery, color palettes, and composition. The techniques in her artwork combine washes of acrylic paint that take shape with colored pencils and pastels, serving as a visual conversation between two hemispheres – the creator and the corrector dancing through a changing process. The common thread in her work is emotional attachment to physical objects, and the power nostalgia has to unlock a memory.

Artist Statement

The setting of Fidus Amor and Flora & Zephyr draws inspiration from Baroque-style landscapes with an applied field of color harkening to works by Maurice Noble and Chuck Jones – creators of the background animation design in Looney Tunes. The subjects are modeled after 1700s French and German porcelain figurines for their gestural and sculptural qualities. I love capturing the opaque, pastel glazes and further enjoy examining how antique porcelain has visible hairline fractures as a natural release of tension within the material.

 

The drapery within Unviable depicts the emotional tension of losing bodily autonomy as a woman facing decisions about her body and reproductive health. It is a voyeuristic invasion of privacy that hangs heavy and layered. The use of drapery as a visual device echoes the symbolism used in Neoclassicism and the uncanny characteristics implemented in Magic Realism, particularly the work of Honoré Sharrer.

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EDUCATION

2004      BFA Painting and Drawing, William Carey University, Gulfport, MS

 

EXHIBITIONS

2023      27th Annual No Dead Artists, Ferrara Showman Gallery, New Orleans, LA

2022      Art for the Park, Featured Artist, Fairview Inn

2019      Smalls Show, Caron Gallery, Featured Artist,Tupelo, MS

2019      10 Most Endangered Places, MS Heritage Trust

2019      Priced to Move, Vol. 10, Pop-up Art Gallery

2018      Bright Lights Belhaven Nights featured artist and vendor       

2017      Self Portrait Exhibition, Art Lovers Soiree, Fischer Galleries

2017      Spring Open House, Featured Artist & Live demonstration, The Caron Gallery, Tupelo, MS

2017      Summer Republic, Smith + Lens Gallery, Bay St. Louis, MS

2016      Dolly Should, Smith + Lens Gallery, Bay St. Louis, MS

2016      Sneaker Madness, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS

2016      The Spring Exhibition, solo show, The Cedars, Jackson, MS

2015      10 Most Endangered Places, MS Heritage Trust, Featured

2014      Pop-Up Exhibit, Mississippi Museum of Art

2013      HeARTworks, The Cedars, Jackson, MS

2013      The Girls of Summer, MAC, Jackson, MS

2013      Art Soup, group show at Hal & Mal’s, Jackson, MS

2013      Studio 54, Storytellers Ball, MS Arts Center

2013      Artists by Artists, four month group exhibit, MMA

2013      Spring Show, Lounge Interiors, Jackson, MS

2011      Group Show, M2 Gallery, Little Rock, AR

2011      I Love the 80s, Storytellers Ball, MS Arts Center

2010      Solo Exhibition, MS Arts Center, Jackson, MS

2010      Nudes & Figures, Fischer Galleries, Jackson, MS

2010      Pearl River Glass Showcase, The Cedars, Jackson, MS

2009      Figurative Work, Guthrie Contemporary, New Orleans, LA

2009      Motown Exhibit, MS Arts Center

2009      Nudes & Figures, Fischer Galleries, Jackson, MS

2008      Paris Expo, Highland Fine Art Brokers, Jackson, MS

2008      5x7, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS

2008      Shaken, Not Stirred, Storytellers Ball, Jackson, MS

2008      The Moe Show, Guthrie Contemporary, New Orleans, LA

2008      Prospect 1, Guthrie Contemporary, New Orleans, LA

2008      Wraparounds, The Powerhouse, Oxford, MS

2008      Nudes and Figures, Fischer Galleries, Jackson, MS

2008      The Still Life, Lounge Interiors, Jackson, MS

2007      Summer Solstice, District Fine Arts, Washington DC

2007      New American Talent 22, Arthouse, Austin, TX

2007      Mississippi Artists, Brick Gallery, Clarksdale, MS

2007      Displaced, The Found Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2006      Katrina Remembered, DUMBO Arts Festival, Brooklyn, NY

2006      Katrina Remembered, DFA, Washington DC

 

INSTALLATIONS/ PROJECTS

2019      Curated Artwork Installation and Mural, Ferriss & Co. for Sophomore Spanish Club, Jackson, MS

2019      Lower Mississippi River Museum, Illustrator for interactive play installation, Vicksburg, MS, coordinated by Kiyomi

2018      The Artful Evolution of Hal & Mal’s, illustrator, Published by the University Press of Mississippi and statewide book tour and art exhibit

2018      Birth Control editorial Illustration for Teen Vogue Magazine

2017      Literary Map of Mississippi, illustration, permanent installation at the Mississippi Library Commission

2017      Paintings on the set of a Lifetime Original Movie, set in Gulfport, MS, through The Caron Gallery

2017      Stacy’s Stands With You benefitting StepUP Women’s Network, design team led by Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Illustration featured on packaging of Stacy’s Pita Chips

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AWARDS

2022      Artist Mini-Grant MAC

2020      Rapid Response Grant MAC

2017      Bronze Lion in Design|Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity|Package Design|Stacy’s Pita Chips + Goodby Silverstein & Partners, 10 Illustrators selected in the US

2016      Artist Mini-Grant MAC

2013      3rd Place in Studio 54 exhibit at MS Arts Center

2012      Outstanding Art Educator of the Year, Museum Division, MAEA

2009      2nd Place in Motown Exhibit, MS Arts Center

2009-13 Best of Jackson, Best Visual Artist division

2006      Creative Artist Grant, Greater Jackson Arts Council, Jackson, MS

 

ARTIST LECTURES/FEATURES

2022      “MAC Artist Takeover” on Instagram

2022      “Mississippi State Arts Conference” Presenter

2022      Keynote Speaker and Creativity Workshop for “MS Whole Schools Leadership Retreat” at The MAX, Meridian, MS

2021      “How Much Should I Charge”, Virtual Panelist, MAC

2020      “We Feel You”, Webinar focused on mental health and creativity, hosted by Thimblepress

2018      “Mississippi Book Festival” Panelist & Book Signing

2014      “The Dead Mothers Club”, HBO Documentary, featured interviews and poster artwork, Smoke & Apple Films

 

PRESS

2018      NPR’s Book Concierge featuring The Artful Evolution of Hal & Mal’s

2017      Illustration featured on AJ+ social media accounts for International Women’s Day

2014      Time Magazine article featuring The Dead Mothers Club HBO Documentary Premiere

2014      Live interview by Katie Couric on the talk show, Katie, about The Dead Mothers Club Documentary

2013      Mississippi Roads, Landrum’s Homestead episode, featured interview, MPBTV broadcast

2013      Natural Talent Issue, The Jackson Free Press

2012      Power Couples issue, BOOM Jackson Magazine

2012      Three Under 35, Delta Magazine

2009      The Art Issue, Portico Magazine

2004      Grounded Ginger, cover story, The Jackson Free Press

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