Corey Pickett

The Museum Of UnCut Funk thanks Corey Pickett for agreeing to showcase his work in Aesthetic Grooves. Corey creates works of art that is consistent with our mission to pay homage to Black Icons from the 1970’s and beyond.

Corey Pickett’s Artist Statement

I create what I call cardboard paintings inspired by iconic African-American people and images. There is actually no paint involved in the creation of these pieces. My color pallet is based solely on the different hues of cardboard I find. My first pieces were done entirely in the brown or beige color, which is most common of cardboard. The absence of additional colors allowed me to focus on texture, value, shape, and form.

Recently, my work has evolved to using multiple colors. These colors provide an additional element to the viewers. I find an aesthetic value in utilizing cardboard. Cardboard is generally used as containers and discarded. However, my creative works allow cardboard to be viewed as versatile and adaptable; a metaphor for the countless slaves that started generations of greatness in the United States. It is fulfilling to give something that has been thrown away and considered trash a new purpose, while at the same time bring awareness to environmental issues and cultural awareness.

Cardboard is the largest component of municipal waste. I can’t resolve the issue of the over abundance of waste alone; but as an artist, I can bring it to light in an effort to influence a culture of environmental preservation. I can also actively participate in educating the community on the important roles African-Americans play in the development of the human condition by including African-American icons in my works.

Freedom’s Fight

Corey Pickett’s Biography

Corey Pickett grew up in the coastal town of Brunswick, Georgia. His love for art was influenced by his father. Like a lot of little boys, Corey wanted to be like his father. His mother encouraged him to pursue art by enrolling him in art classes and keeping him supplied with art supplies. In high school, Corey took drafting classes in an effort to become an architect. After graduating from high school, he was accepted to Savannah College of Art and Design but didn’t attend because of the high cost of tuition. Corey attended Savannah State College instead, majoring in mechanical engineering, as Savannah State didn’t have an art program.

After one year at Savannah State College, he returned home to attend the local community college but lost interest after one semester. He enlisted in the Air Force where his love for art remained. Taking advantage of the military’s tuition assistant program, Corey enrolled in the local community college at his duty station and received an Associate Degree with a focus in art. Upon the end of his four-year enlistment in the Air Force, Corey enrolled at Eastern New Mexico University majoring in graphic design. He immediately changed his major given his love for the Fine Arts. Corey received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2000. After graduating from college, Corey worked as a special education assistant then as a special education teacher for a year. The following year, he was hired as an art teacher. He taught art for seven years. Currently, Corey is a teacher for the Gifted and Talented in Clovis, New Mexico where he lives with his wife Yvette and four children, Jaye 21, Deven 20, Paige 19, Kalin 18 and his dog, Boots.

For more information on Corey Pickett and the art he creates please visit: www.coreypickettart.com and https://www.facebook.com/corey.pickett.