Cece Cole is an artist and independent gallery curator. Both curatorial and artist projects prioritize conceptual content intended to spark curiosity and imagination.  Cole curates and produces forward looking, site-specific exhibition events and occasional publication series Form.Space.Vision.

Cece Cole earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Media Studies from the University of Louisiana, and both a Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. Cole was the first recipient of the annual Fountainhead and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Painting/Printmaking Residency and Fellowship Award. She later served as Assistant Professor in the VCU Painting and Printmaking Department. Cole’s record includes national and international exhibitions; her works have been reviewed in Sculpture Magazine, NY Arts, and D’art International. Upcoming exhibitions include a summer 2025 residency at De Sarthe Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ.

Cole lives and works in the Phoenix Metro Area of Scottsdale, AZ. She is currently the curator at The Gallery at Mountain Shadows, with rotating exhibitions. Follow curatorial updates on instagram at Cole/Lab and visit Cece Cole Contemporary + Artsy.

2026 Current Projects include curatorial contracts with Grand Canyon Conservancy’s annual art event and more.

She is the founder and creator of an ongoing, socially engaged, community-based exhibition and publication project titled Form. Space. Vision. Cole partners with local creatives, scholars, and civic, and cultural organizations across disciplines to present public exhibitions and conversations that examine climate solutions through the artist's lens. The 2025 exhibitions focused on forward looking ideas, highlighting algae farming, and alternative materials. The 2026 exhibition Flora & Fauna Part 1 and 2 is on view at The Gallery at Mountain Shadows.

SELECTED EXHIBITION RECORD:

Cece’s most recent solo exhibition Tea Time In Sponge City was created during the Summer of 2025 as artist -in-residence at De Sarthe Gallery, USA with public exhibition opening in October 2025. Past exhibitions include University of Iowa Art Museum, Midwest Exhibitions in Chicago, IL, and Reynolds Gallery and Solvent Space Gallery in Richmond, VA. Cole was awarded a solo exhibition and award at Wave Hill Cultural Center, Bronx, NY and as a former member of the collective Paintallica, she has participated in collaborative events at the Time-Based Art Fair in Portland, OR, and at Country Club Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. Cole’s work has been exhibited internationally in Berlin, Germany, and with a group exhibition that originated in Brooklyn, NY, and traveled to Japan, Slovakia, Hungary, and Mexico.  Her work has been reviewed in Sculpture Magazine, NY Arts, and D’art International. Selected artwork is represented by Ada Gallery in Richmond, VA. In 2018-2019 where her installation “Projection Studies” was featured in a two-person exhibition in 2018. Her work is included in the July 2022 group titled Other Ingredients. Cole’s works on paper were included in a three-person exhibition at Mary S. Byrd Gallery, Augusta University, GA, and in a group show at Bentley Gallery in Phoenix, AZ.

Artist Statement

Cece Cole examines themes of phenomenology, nature, and ecological systems in her site-specific installations and sculptural drawings. Intrigued by simulated, utopian and futuristic landscapes, Cole re-contextualizes economical and temporal materials to generate experiential works that evoke moments of wonder and contemplation.

CURATOR STATEMENT

With a focus is on contemporary practices, Cole curates conversational, museum-quality artwork and installations featuring established and emerging local, national and international artists. Ongoing projects include Form.Space.Vision, a series of forward looking exhibition events and publications. See list of curatorial projects .

See featured exhibitions and art works at The Gallery + Artsy