Carrie Cook
2020 Executive Fellow
Carrie Cook defines herself as a portrait artist, bringing the plight of non-human primates and their stories to the forefront. With each portrait, Carrie gives them the import we afford humans, while helping us acknowledge that each one is an individual.
To look beyond the yearly wildlife art shows and southwest art galleries she currently partners with to launch her first solo exhibition featuring primate art. Partner with an international conservation organization and/or sanctuary to build recognition and allow for travel and study of great apes in the wild. Be known to conservationists and collectors as the premiere painters of great apes.
Carrie contacted the Center for Great Apes to pitch a collaborative project. After receiving a grant to travel to the sanctuary, she was able to build a relationship with the director and staff, collect stories of the inhabitants, and photograph the great apes as reference for her oil-painted portraits. She gave an art talk about her project at the Briscoe Museum during the Society of Animal Artists exhibit, and another talk at the Georgetown Art Center. One of her portraits of an orangutan won Best of Show at Art Hop, a statewide juried exhibition in Texas.
Carrie will continue to focus on launching her solo exhibition—creating portraits, acquiring an exhibition space, and working to obtain funding. She will seek to collaborate with an influencer or organization, fusing their message with her portraits to reach a broader audience. This will build recognition for both Carrie and others who donate to or work directly with great ape causes.
Carrie will continue to participate in this year’s international wildlife art shows, including the Artists for Conservation Festival of Wildlife Art, the Society of Animal Artists Art of the Animal exhibition, and Explorers Against Extinction’s Sketch for Survival. In March, she will be anchoring “Our Animal World,” an exhibition at the Georgetown Art Center.
