The Color Wall

Color Wall benefit exhibition of Joe Cox paintings a resounding success

Karl — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:23:12 +0000

Two of the Joe Cox paintings currently being shown at the Lee Hansley Gallery Too on Glenwood Ave. in Raleigh. (Photo by John Morris, Goodnight Raleigh)

Melodious strains from a jazz piano filled the air Sunday as visitors meandered through the Lee Hansley Gallery Too on Glenwood Ave. in Raleigh. A collection of 18 Joe Cox paintings and works on paper attracted a crowd of 150 to the afternoon opening reception. Nine of the works were donated by Joe Cox’s niece, Janice McAninch and her husband Skip, as a gift to help fund the restoration of Cox’s celebrated light mural, Color Wall.

Jazz selections on the piano enhanced the ambience of the gallery reception. (Photo by John Morris, Goodnight Raleigh)

Installed in the D. H. Hill Library on the N.C. State University campus in 1972, the Color Wall went dark for the last time nearly three years ago. A fundraising campaign to restore this masterpiece of undulating color and ever-changing light began late last spring with an online effort to raise funds to replace the mechanical light controller with a modern, digital SmartSwitch Relay System. To date, more than $10,000 has been raised through individual donations.

Visitors enjoyed an array of hors d'oeuvre and a selection of wine provided by the gallery. Belgian-style ale was provided by the Ommegang Brewery of Cooperstown, N.Y. (Photo by John Morris, Goodnight Raleigh)

At the opening Sunday five paintings were sold, adding more than $11,000 to the Color Wall Restoration Fund. The fund is administered by the NCSU Friends of the Library at N.C. State University. The more than $21,000 now in the fund will be used to purchase and install the relay system, and to provide a source of money for maintenance of the Color Wall for years to come.

Two visitors discuss the paintings and ink drawings by Joe Cox. (Photo by John Morris, Goodnight Raleigh)

The new switching system will be installed this summer and the Color Wall will be up and running again in plenty of time for the rededication of a renewed Hillsborough Street in September. In the meantime, the Joe Cox paintings will remain on exhibit, and for sale, at the gallery through April 17.

Sale of Joe Cox paintings set for March 7

Karl — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:57:25 +0000

Mountain Series (1990; acrylic on canvas)

Nine paintings by the late Joe Cox, a long-time North Carolina State University College of Design professor who created a kinetic light sculpture at N.C. State’s D.H. Hill Library known as the Color Wall, will be sold as part of an effort to raise money to restore this unique work of public art.

The paintings, which were donated to the Color Wall restoration effort by Cox’s niece, Janice McAninch, and her husband, Skip, of Sante Fe, New Mexico, will be on display beginning Sunday March 7, at the Lee Hansley Gallery, 126 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh. A reception to kick off the exhibition is scheduled from 2-5 p.m. March 7 at the gallery.

The paintings will remain on display through April 17.

Overlapping Washes

Here are a few more images of Joe Cox paintings featured in the show and sale. The period covered is 1958 – 1996.

Sea Wall (1996)

Still Life Two Blacks (1958; acrylic on masonite)

Reflections (1987; unfinished)

Joe Cox in his studio, ca 1956.

New Year’s Update

Karl — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:37:43 +0000

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!

Fund Raising Update

Karl — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:08:28 +0000

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!

Colors, and colors, and colors

Karl — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:19:03 +0000

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

Welcome to the Color Wall Restoration Fund Web site!

Karl — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:04:44 +0000

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!