November 20, 2023
Exhibit Poster Image: Title- Last Full Moon of 1986- 37th Street & 9th Ave in Hell’s Kitchen December17th oil/canvas 32”x26” Joseph Coco
HACKETTSTOWN, NJ, November 20, 2023— Joseph Coco will be exhibiting 33 paintings & drawings from his series: THE MANHATTAN CITYSCAPES. They will be on display at Centenary University Taylor Memorial Library- 400 Monroe St. Hackettstown, NJ 07840. Commencing on November 1st through January 1st, 2023, Library hours are Monday through Friday 8am – 8pm: free admission to the public. For more information contact the Taylor Memorial Library and speak with the Library Staff at 908-852-1400 x2345.
MANHATTAN CITYSCAPES present another side to Coco’s art with plen-aire painting rooftop views of Manhattan. During a 3-year stint as a Warner Bros singer/songwriter, Coco was in landmark buildings. Spanning a 5-year period, the series ranges from 5”x4” ball point sketches of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, to 40”x32” oil on canvas works of Trump Plaza, IBM Atrium, Rockefeller Center, and rooftop views from Tiffany’s, etc.
An international exhibiting artist, Coco’s FULL MOON SERIES, is “unprecedented, a first of its kind in the history of world” –A.Onuff / Ph.D / Art HistoryThis collection of over 136 paintings, drawings and prints celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Started in 1972, Coco creates a canvas every December as a synopsis of the year. A January image anticipates what his year will look like. Published this year by Flying Game, I Paint The Moon is a 260 page full color book available thru LuLu.com, Print-On-Demand.
Coco’s recent Sept/October 2023 exhibit at Centenary, IF WALLS COULD SPEAK, “redefines the image of Sicily”. The series celebrates Coco’s Sicilian/American heritage, with 2-books of 100 stories each that include all 106 narrative fantasy paintings, drawings and photographs created while Coco was a resident in Lisbon then Messina, Sicily 1992 thru 1997. The series also includes 9-albums of instrumentals and songs inspired by Sicily.
Completing a Master of Fine Arts degree from Rutgers University – Mason Gross, Coco earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Northern Arizona University. His RE-MASTERED -DVD- COLLECTION, four experimental films & video, combine music Coco composed & recorded for his paintings & drawings. Generated through the first generation of desktop Mac’s and IBM’s, the work is included in 25 Public collections such as: California’s MOMA-SF, LA County & DeYoung Museums; New York’s Whitney; Boston’s Museum Of Fine Art; Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia MOM; New Jersey’sPrinceton & Paterson Museums etc. Coco’s 110 solo exhibitions include four European Museums. Over 550 works of art are in 450 Private Patrons, and International Collections, such as: Gulbenkian Museum-Lisbon; Galleria Nazionale-Rome; and Kridel Securities-Paris.
Joe Coco is also a versatile singer / songwriter with infectious energy. He has performed from New York’s Bottom Line & Folk City; L.A.’s Troubadour; Switzerland’s Atlantis Club; to Rome’s Teatro Sistina. A prolific songwriter, 800 songs are indexed with BMI. 58 albums since 1979, many of his songs reflect a strong social conscience. A native of Passaic, New Jersey, Coco lived in Flagstaff, Arizona for eleven years and Messina, Sicily for 5 years. He continues to perform in summer Italian Festivals since his return to the States in 2000. Six of his albums are in Cleveland’s ROCK N ROLL HALL OF FAME Library of Protest & Special Collections, including Blues House-A Blues Opera considered one of the first Blues Opera’s ever written. Coco has opened concerts for Keb Mo, B.B. King, John Hammond, Commander Cody, Leon Redbone, The Roaches, Big Bill Morganfield (Muddy Water’s son) and many more.
Coco is currently an Adjunct Professor at Centenary University since 2004 teaching Art Appreciation, Painting, Drawing & History Of Rock n Rap courses.
Contact: Joseph.Coco@centenaryuniversity.edu
ABOUT CENTENARY UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1867 by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church, Centenary University’s academic program integrates a solid liberal arts foundation with a strong career orientation. This mix provides an educational experience that prepares students to succeed in the increasingly global and interdependent world. The University’s main campus is located in Hackettstown, N.J., with its equestrian facility in Washington Township.