معرفی
Cole M James (They/Zi/She) is an Assistant Professor in the Animation Department at Otis College of Art and Design, where they received a Teaching Excellence Award (2022-23) and multiple Faculty Development Grants. James holds an MFA from Claremont Graduate University in Installation & Digital Media and a BA from California State University at San Bernardino.
James identifies as an interdisciplinary artist whose work uses figurative and abstract images, sound, and scent to explore perception, time, and the intersections of identity. Their practice navigates the African Diaspora, queerness, and womanhood through the lens of digital production and analog collection of lived experiences. James describes themselves as "a negotiator, navigating the African Diaspora, circling the expanse of queerness and traversing through womanhood."
James's recent artistic output shows a clear trajectory toward community-centered, socially engaged practice with increasing focus on transformative justice, somatic abolition, and environmental advocacy. Their work consistently addresses race, gender, and class through multimedia formats including video, installation, performance, and community workshops.
- Precipice Fund Grant Recipient-Portland Institute of Contemporary Art
- Teaching Excellence Award - Otis College of Art 2022-23
- Faculty Development Grants from Otis College of Art (2020-2022)
- Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation Fellow 2015
- Human Rights Leadership Fellow – Amnesty International 2014
James serves as a Somatic Abolition Communal Consultant and is on the Development Team for Artist Infrastructure Initiative at Now Be Here. They are also part of the Collective Abayomi facilitated by Bayo Akomolafe. Their community collaborations span numerous organizations including artworx LA, Liberated Justice Coalition, UCLA, California African American Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and many others focused on restorative justice and environmental advocacy throughout Los Angeles.
James has developed several notable community engagement initiatives including Books That Breathe at the California African American Museum and Design Empathy workshops at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Their Paletas SAMO project created space for community members to express ideas about public art through a gift economy model distributing sustainable popsicles while gathering community input for city council presentations.
