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Kevin McCoy is an interdisciplinary artist who co-founded the design studio WORK/PLAY with his wife Danielle. His practice explores notions of identity, racial inequality, erasure, redaction, and omitted histories These topics have been explored in a myriad of ways using a multitude of disciplines including design, printmaking, billboards, mixed media works, and publishing. In his studio practice, theoretical underpinnings are closely connected to the medium, and conversely, the subject matter greatly informs production modes, material usage, and size. Despite the various disciplines utilized, the through line in most of his work centers on erasure and redaction.McCoy currently resides in East Saint Louis, Illinois which can be viewed as a politically charged area due to the violence that erupted in the spring and summer of 1917 in what is known as the East Saint Louis Massacre. Mobs of Whites terrorized and brutally murdered Black residents and churned out property damage estimated at $9.51 million today. Bridge access where many sought to escape is vaguely visible today in a dense thicket of shrubs and native trees, nor is significant commemoration of this atrocity legible to passersby. Histories of this type, and the suppression thereof, are conceptually investigated in his personal practice and the joint work produced through WORK/PLAY.
During the pandemic, McCoy and his studio’s trajectory shifted due to the pandemic. He sought to engage with people where they were and he began to squarely focus on publishing as a democratic medium because of its accessibility. In addition to publication design, McCoy has adopted other forms of deployment such posters, broadsides, and other printed ephemera which expand far beyond the white cube.
Zora Neale Hurston asserts, “If you are silent about your pain, they’ll K*ll you and say you enjoyed it.” For McCoy, this became a rallying cry to speak up in order to take control of the narratives being irresponsibly tossed around. It is no secret that we are living in a time where academic freedom is fleeting and historical censorship is quickly being ushered in, upholding dominant narratives. This is the primary reason he is driven to unearth bodies of suppressed histories and disseminate them however possible. McCoy uses his practice to grapple with the ever growing threat of widespread erasure while challenging America’s historical record.
McCoy has exhibited both locally and nationally. Recent exhibitions include Copy Machine Manifestos: Artist Who Make Zines, Brooklyn Museum; America’s Mythic Time, The Luminary; Small Talk, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; Overview is a Place at SPRING/BREAK Art Show in New York; and Change of State at The Wassaic Projects in Wassaic, New York. Recent book fairs include Printed Matter’s New York Art Book Fair, Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair, Chicago Art Book Fair, and the Fully Booked Art Fair in Dubai.
Spring 2025 Visiting Artist Colloquium
Wednesdays @ 5 – 6:15pm
Elvehjem L160
The Art Department Colloquium is a series supported by the Anonymous Fund and the Brittingham Trust. Visiting Artist lectures are held every Wednesday during the academic year, and are free and open to the public.
Discover the latest developments in Fine art, Craft, and Design at our free public lectures by some of the nation’s most prominent artists, critics, and gallery and museum directors.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Conrad A. Elvehjem Building, 408 N Lake St, Madison, WI 53706, United States,Madison, Wisconsin
