Mark Coile

Mark Coile was a Columbus, Georgia artist, poet and viionary. He passed away in 1999 after a long illness.

"...A man of remarkable vision and dream for the future of Shadowville. He split downtown wide open when very few of us lived and loved on old Broadway. It hasn't turned out like we wanted, exactly, back in 1995, but it *did* happen..." -Will Dockery, 9 May 2003 12:06:29 -0700 Mark Coile artwork

In Mark's Words

"I am a self-taught artist, and like to think of my art as recycled art - many of the larger pieces were store fixtures that light up and/or turn electrically. These pieces lend a commercial tone to my work even after being remade into something new. Electric light is an element that I use whenever possible; these built-in sources of usually colored light are capable of creating a wide range of moods. Mirrors are another component I use frequently for their ability to incorporate the viewer's image onto the piece so it becomes an integral part of the piece. Folk art has been around for a very long time. My own visionary folk art is of places in time I have visited. No doubt folk art will continue to evolve as long as there are folks to make it. I think the drawings I do now may be what folk art might look like in the future..." -Mark Coile

As an artist living with AIDS, Mark Coile created worlds of comfort and beauty, deceptively simple in design, raging with color, content and hope. These works represent his vision at the onset of the AIDS epidemic and also reflect a creative life, maturing and surviving in a West Georgia town. This body of artwork is original in design and orientation. Adding value to this work are "found" objects from his environment which were incorporated into various sculpture.

Working from LaRonde in Columbus, Georgia, his first gallery, Mark searched the downtown area for found art supplies. Old signs or doorknobs, junk to anyone else, became art to him. As a self-described "outsider artist", Mark's works were many and varied, his talent far-reaching, encompassing every known medium in one way or another.

Much of Mark's art appeals to children of all ages. His cartoon world of skyscrapers and spaceports is filled with mystery and innuendo. Many adult themes are explored in this cartoon medium. A sculpture, "Sex-O-Matic", a part of the permanent collection at Columbus Museum, is a mixed media assemblage of a variety of objects, from seashells to machine parts, and is a play on his own last name - with coils of wire and spinning coils in the lighted box.

In the mid-90's, Mark traveled to Birmingham, Alabama to gain entrance into a national AIDS drug trial and as a test subject was one of the first men in history to benefit from the then unheard of "protease inhibitors". Because of Mark and one other test subject's positive response to the treatments, protease inhibitors gained acceptance as a method to fight AIDS. While in Birmingham, Mark's art work gained the notice of art therapists and Mark's art was applied to a line of greeting cards, sold worldwide to benefit AIDS research.

Mark taught after-school art classes to children through the Urban League and was a supporter of the local art scene. Working with Playgrounds Magazine, Mark began a monthly column, "Artrageous", which highlighted local museum, art and music events in the Columbus area. He was the 1997 recipient of the magazines award for best sculpture artist.

1. ELECTRIC ELECTRIC GALLERY - Atlanta, Georgia (1996) A gallery of electric sources of light in artful shapes and themes. 2. THE WHITE HOUSE - Bibb City, Georgia (1995 - 96) An ongoing, ever changing environment that Mark lived and worked in. 3. GENISH GALLERY - Columbus, Georgia (1995-96) A gallery that highlighted local artists in solo exhibits. 4. Pasaquan - Buena Vista, Georgia (1992-96) A volunteer in the restoration of St. Eoms' masterpiece. 5. VARIOUS PARTICIPATION IN GROUP SHOWS a. Miriam's Cafe - Columbus, Georgia (1996) b. Clary Sage Gallery - Birmingham, Alabama (1993) c. Richard Tubbs Interiors - Birmingham, Alabama (1991) d. 800 east - Atlanta, Georgia (1995) e. SOS (Save Outdoor Sculpture) - (1994) f. Urban League Summer Youth Program - (1995) g. Laronde Gallery - Columbus, Georgia (1992 - 1995)