statement

Contemporary suburban life and living has changed little from its origins in post-WWII Levittown housing subdivisions. The homes and their landscapes still feign the appearance of park-like settings and atmospheres with a sense of community between man, neighbor, and nature. However, an active visual investigation of suburbia suggests that mobility, modularity, and security have increasingly influenced the ideas and decision-making involved in the realization of suburban developments.

My interests as an artist are tied to exploring ways that Americans develop and inhabit the landscape. This interest was sparked at a young age while growing up in the suburbs outside of St. Louis, MO. The goal of my work is to visually discuss issues of housing development and sustainable living practices pertinent to contemporary society. My paintings and drawings address suburbia as an archetypal invention of the middle class and an assertion of privilege and class wealth. Looking past the practical functionality of suburbia's driveways, garage doors, and privacy fencing, my intent is to investigate the implications of these structures in the context of both a society and an economy dependent on the oil and automotive industries.

By addressing such banal, mundane subject matter through the language of landscape painting, I hope to stimulate an introspective contemplation of the spaces that document the changing characteristics of communities, families, and individuals in America.

bio

born: 1985, St. Louis, Missouri

education:

University of Missouri, Columbia, BFA, 2009

selected awards/honors

William B. Ittner, Sr. Fine Arts Scholarship, University of Missouri, Columbia, 2009

selected publications

Fort Wayne Museum of Art; 2010 Contemporary Realism Biennial. Fort Wayne, IN. p. 27, 2010
Niche: A Weekly Peek at an Area Artist, "Jake Crook" by Aarik Danielson. Columbia, MO: Columbia Daily Tribune, Aug. 26, 2009

selected solo or two-person exhibits

Boone County National Bank Gallery: Recent Work by Jacob Crook, Columbia, MO, 2010

selected group shows

Fort Wayne Museum of Art: 2010 Contemporary Realism Biennial, Fort Wayne, IN, 2010
Bradley University: "What's Next" National Juried Undergraduate Exhibition, Peoria, IL, 2010
George Caleb Bingham Gallery: Standing Room Only, Columbia, MO, 2009
Columbia Art League: Politically Speaking, Columbia, MO, 2009