CBTP Spotlight: Marie T. Cochran

Photo Credit: Emmai Alaquiva

A self-proclaimed “pollinator,” Marie T. Cochran uses visual art to ignite community engagement for sustainable collaboration.  Born and raised in Toccoa, Georgia in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, she received a BFA from the University of GA and an MFA in visual studies and art history, theory and criticism from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Selected exhibition venues include the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library & Museum, Austin, TX; the Center for African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC; and the Studio Museum of Harlem, NYC. 

Cochran’s awards include a Georgia Council for the Arts Individual Artist’s Grant, Artist as Catalyst grant from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Council. /Southern Arts Federation Fellowship and a NEA Fast-Track Challenge Grant. She has been an artist-in-residence at a wide range of organizations including youth programs and historical sites. Cochran is the founding curator of the Affrilachian Artist Project which celebrates the intersection of cultures in Appalachia--- specifically nurturing a network of African American creatives and welcoming anyone commited to the sustainability of a diverse region.