The Color Wall

Dear Color Wall Friends,

Happy New Year! And all the best for 2010! In the past six months we have made great progress toward restoring the Joe Cox Color Wall in the DH Hill Library at NC State. Since June we have raised just over $4,000 in online donations towards the purchase the new digital Smart Switch controller. Thanks to those of you who have already made your gift!!! Your support is greatly appreciated.

In the next few weeks we will be sending a mailing to more than 100 potential donors to raise additional dollars to reach our goal of purchasing the new switching system and creating a maintenance fund to keep the Color Wall perpetually operating for generations to come.

The most exciting news for this project is a donation of 8 – 10 original Joe Cox paintings gifted by his niece Janice McAninch and her husband Skip. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this body of work will go directly toward the Color Wall restoration. Lee Hansley Gallery in Raleigh has generously offered its space at 126 Glenwood Ave for a reception and sale. The tentative date for the sale is the end of February or early March. We will share more details with you about this event later this month.

As we draw closer to the sale date, we will post images of the Joe Cox paintings that will be offered to the public.

So, stayed tuned!

Yes! 2010 will be the year the Color Wall gets switched back on and stays on!

Here’s the latest news from the Color Wall restoration front:

Since June, $3,960 has been donated toward the estimated $6,125 needed to install the computerized “Smart-Switch Relay System” which will operate the bank of lights. The new system is completely digital, so once it is installed, the problems inherent in a mechanically operated controller will be a thing of the past.

We have asked our supplier, Stageworks Lighting of Raleigh, for an updated quote for the project, and will release that information when it is available.

In the meantime, we have been pursuing additional avenues that will ensure continued financial support for the operation of the Color Wall in the future. Among these is a possible auction of original Joe Cox paintings which have been gifted to the restoration effort by a generous benefactor. We hope to have the auction in the early spring, and will make a formal announcement once the plans are finalized.

This past summer, a cache of slides depicting the Color Wall was discovered in the State Archives downtown, where the Joe Cox Papers are housed. The find is significant because the slides date from the early 1970s, and were presumably taken by Joe himself. Moreover, the images show people passing in front of the light mural thereby becoming a part of the scuplture itself, as Joe intended. We have reproduced some of these historic images here.

Thanks to everyone who has made a donation to the restoration of the Joe Cox Color Wall. Your generosity is appreciated!

This Color Wall video was created Ginny Skalski, managing editor of the Raleigh blog, 30Threads. The music is “Colours,” by Hot Chip.

Goodnight, Raleigh! first reported on N.C. State University’s kinetic light sculpture, Color Wall, in May 2009. The Color Wall has intrigued and bedazzled passersby on Hillsborough St. for more than three decades. But, after years of  on again, off again repair, the  wall of  color and light has gone dark. Our challenge now is to raise funds for the permanent restoration of this unique and dynamic work of public art. You can learn about Color Wall, it’s proposed restoration, and its creator, Joe Cox, in the informational segments posted here.

• If you wish to support the Joe Cox Color Wall restoration project please click here.
• Complete the online donation form, selecting “Library Art Preservation Fund” from the drop down menu under “In Support of an existing endowment or fund:” section.
• Under the “Comments” section, please note that the gift is designated for the “Joe Cox Color Wall”.

Please visit us again. TheColorWall.org will keep you up to date on the progress on the restoration campaign and will provide additional information on the Color Wall in future posts.

Thank you for your support!