“Art with Spin” Sculpture Exhibition to Open This Friday at BPL

Image credit: Corinne Cox - The Cat IS the Hat

The Birmingham Public Library kicks off Women’s History Month with an exhibition of works by Alabama sculptress Corinne Cox. Art with Spin features raku-fired ceramic depictions of imaginary creatures perched in open books, spinning heads topped with fantastical objects and animals, and vessels clenched by dragon’s claws. 

Art with Spin will be on view in the Lobby Gallery at the Central Library through May 23. A reception for the artist will take place on Saturday, March 15, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on the first floor. 

Says Cox, “I like art that tells a story and creates an emotion. By making my sculptures spin the viewer can interact and engage in the story of the piece. My favorite emotion created is usually happiness and laughter, but the rich darkness of raku can spin in mystery. My spinning head candle lanterns were inspired by the jack-o’-lantern. I enjoyed carving a pumpkin each year but was sad when it can time to let it go. So I began making heads in clay to serve in the other seasons. I use a mold of my face as the start and sculpt it into another character. I say there's a little Corinne in every piece.” 

Raku is an ancient Japanese method of firing by which clay pieces are glazed and fired in a kiln until molten hot. They are removed from the kiln and placed into combustible material where they ignite. They are then quickly covered. The resulting fire and smoke add a variety of finishes to the pieces, creating a uniqueness that is impossible to reproduce. Cox’s fun, chimerical pieces are characterized by colorful glazes. 

The majority of works featured in Art with Spin are for sale. The artist receives 100% of all sales but may make a contribution to the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library to support the Art for Everyone exhibition series. 

This exhibition is made possible by a grant awarded to the Friends Foundation of BPL by the Alabama State Council on the Arts. 

About the Artist 

Corinne Cox grew up in Birmingham in a creative family. She moved to Atlanta after earning a BA in Communication Arts from Florida State University. Cox attended and later taught at the Portfolio Center, a professional advertising and design school in Atlanta.  Her design career includes work in graphic design studios and advertising in full-time positions and freelancing for more than 15 years in the Atlanta area. 

Cox moved to San Francisco where she continued working in graphic design, along with taking fine art classes in ceramics, painting, and photography for more than a decade. Today she has her own kilns and fires her ceramics in a barn at her home in Wedowee, Alabama. She makes whimsical clay sculptures of her dogs and cats, birds, reptiles, and imaginary creatures with colorful glazes using the raku method of firing. She also enjoys making masks and sculptures she calls “spinning heads.” Each sculptural head starts from a mold of her face, and she claims “there’s a little Corinne in every piece.” 

Learn more about Corinne Cox by visiting her website at corinnespin.com.

By Margaret Splane, Library Assistant III

Image credit: Corinne Cox - Book Club

Image credit: Corinne Cox - Smart Alec