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 At this point I think I may be the black artist that paints black people…and I think that’s wonderful! Art is one of the most complicated things in my life, but artist is a title that I’m so very proud of. My hope is to leave behind a body of work that accomplished my primary artistic objective, which is to give life to large and unapologetic depictions of black joy. When I was a child it was watching Patricia Polacco paint a mural in my elementary school that sowed a seed for my passion for mural art. Playing on J. Seward Johnson’s “The Awakening” at Hains Point park in Washington, DC sparked the flame that would ignite into my burning passion for monumental sculpture later in life. Seeing performances by Alvin Ailey’s dancers at the excited insistence of my mom instilled an internal bar of excellence for people whose faces looked like mine. A dear friend showed me a book of Javier Marin’s artwork while we were in Mexico in 2014. Making a special trip to Houston in 2018 to specifically see Marin’s works sealed the deal on his work being primarily influential in the feelings I wish to create with my sculptural pieces.

These artists set the inspiration for my larger scale objectives.

My day-to-day inspiration is full of artists from all over the world, but is especially blocked in by black diaspora artists painting beautiful depictions of our people. It is my honor to be a representative of our joy, and I’m looking forward to the years of creating pieces that reflect our joy back to us.

A more bio-ish Dare Coulter bio

You can’t spell heart without art, and Dare Coulter has worked to create a career that focuses around heart-felt presentations of the human experience, life, joy, and resilience. Dare is an award-winning professional sculptor, artist, muralist, and illustrator. Her most recent notable work includes a 200ft mural (with Kotis Street Art) in Greensboro honoring oft-unmentioned black cowboys and a commission of a painting of Nina Simone from the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was used to raise funds to restore Nina Simone's childhood home. She has illustrated nine children's books, including Kwame Alexander’s “An American Story” and You Are My Sunshine. While Dare is pursuing her dream of creating monumental sculptures to black joy all over the world, she is having a great time visiting schools and painting murals, and sharing her passion for art with the world.

She was born in Augusta, GA and raised in Lorton, VA. For the second half of her life she has lived in and around Raleigh, NC where the bulk of her public artwork has been created. She graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor’s in Art + Design, but considers herself a graduate of Meredith College’s art program, as well.