Introducing the work of V.L. Cox

V.L. Cox was born in 1962 in Shreveport Louisiana and raised in Arkansas. She acquired a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Henderson State University in 1991.

Cox is a professional artist of 30 years whose work has been highly active in projects that involve Human Rights and Equality. In 2015 she launched her National ‘End Hate’ project, an anti-discrimination series based on segregation era doors in response to HB1228, a dangerous Religious Freedom Bill in Arkansas. This powerful series employs authentic and found objects that create a visceral presentation commenting on raw emotions and relevant human rights issues that continue to be important topics in the 21st century. The doors were placed twice on the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol then twice at the base of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The response was overwhelming. Images of the door installation went viral and were seen on Yahoo News, USA Today, in numerous newspapers across the country and as far away as India and South Korea.

In 2020, Cox was one of twenty artists in the nation to be featured in "Ministry of Truth: 1984/2020,” a New York City billboard project which made the New York Times “Most Important Moments in Art in 2020” list. Her work has opened at prominent locations such as The LGBT Center in New York, NY, The Virginia Longwood Center for the Visual Arts Museum in collaboration with the Moton Museum where the Vice-Presidential debates were held, the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, Alabama coinciding with the Equal Justice Initiative, National Memorial for Peace and Justice opening, the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond, Virginia and the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas to commemorate the 100 Year Anniversary of the Elaine Massacre. In 2023 Cox was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award from Henderson State University and in 2024 was one of 120 artists selected nationwide for the exhibition ‘Into Action 2024’ sponsored by Taskforce, promoting change and the power of voting during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Cox currently lives in the Artists District in Peekskill, New York.

“She wants to counter the bombardment of misinformation — from what she says is a new journalism that is motivated by profit, and goads, rather than informs, the viewer — with simple truth.”

— Leslie Peacock, Arkansas Times, March 3, 2016

Arkansas State Capitol. April 18, 2015

“VL is one of those special spirits that once you invite them into your world nothing else is ever the same. Thankfully it is reflected so well in her art that it influences people without ever knowing her name.”

Greg Henderson, Rock City Life, April 8, 2015

The series was created in response to Arkansas's HB1228 which made it out of committee in March of 2015. This discriminatory bill would have brought back Jim Crow days where hatred and repression were the law of the land. The installation was installed twice on the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol as a First Amendment protest of the reckless and unjust behavior by the 90th General Assembly. Through social media and the Associated Press, the series helped bring world-wide attention to the struggle. With enormous pressure now being forced on government officials, HB1228 was defeated.

With similar bills being considered and passed across the country, the installation was then taken to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.. The power and simplicity of the historic content strongly resonated through the crowd. It brought people that were visiting from all over the world together in conversation in peace and camaraderie. And that is where change begins.

The creation of this series began in 2015 and was completed in 2017 with the final door addition.

Wood, paint and steel.

You can find more information about V.L. Cox on her website where you can read about her incredible accomplishments, or see more of her work @vlcox