MJ Cook is a recent University of Cincinnati graduate of the College of DAAP (Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning) Fine Arts program. Alongside her Fine Arts degree, she obtained a minor in Art History and certificates in Historic Preservation and Museum Studies. Cook’s practice spans multiple media. In one vein of her practice, she works in fiber sculpture and cast paper sculpture, and in the other she applies her skills in observational painting and drawing. Cook focuses on using the art making process to analyze, document, and reflect her experiences and emotions. In her fiber work, bright color and simplified shapes introduce a sense of whimsy that makes the difficult topics of loss, fear, and mental instability more approachable. Her cast paper works speak to the paradox of our most intimate spaces representing the values and habits of the past, answering the question of “How can we live in the present in spaces that are often direct manifestations of the past?” In her painted and drawn works, Cook uses an observational drawing and painting process to deconstruct her sense of herself. 

Cook has worked for local Cincinnati non-profits including Manifest Creative Research Gallery & Drawing Center and ArtWorks. Her original artwork is featured alongside the work of 11 artists in Camp Washington’s ‘Planet Love’ mural. Cook also exhibited work in Camp Washington’s 2023 iteration of Made In Camp, where she collaborated to construct an inflatable sculpture.  

Alongside being a practicing artist, Cook is interested in art history and the preservation of art. Her experience as a practicing artist gives her a unique insight into the museum world. She intends to work in museums or exhibition spaces in the future and aspires to proceed to graduate school after completing her B.F.A. to further explore her interest in how we tell histories of art and art institutions. She plans to pursue a Master of Library and Information Science degree with a focus in Archival Studies. 

In my practice I use a diaristic and self-reflective approach to analyze, document, and reflect on the ways in which the sense of self is experienced and represented through modes of creation, particularly through fiber art and drawing/painting.  

Through making work that processes my experience of early adulthood as a female presenting person, I aim to feel more equipped to face change and combat the challenges and changes this brought for my sense of self. These challenges include a disconnect between myself and the idea of who I am, as well as shifting ideas of myself, my values, and the world. Through my work I also seek to use art making as a way to combat imposter syndrome and solidify my personal identity - both as a woman and an artist. I have observed parallels that exist between my experience and my mother’s own experience. Seeking validation in my selfhood, I use my work to deconstruct and subsequently begin to reconstruct my sense of myself. 

I use fiber and the process of hand sewing to identify with a traditionally feminine art form that has been passed down to me by the women in my family. I employ sewing to appreciate my personal history, one of the building blocks that my sense of self is composed of. Through my use of color, texture, and stylized forms I use whimsy to make difficult experiences and subject matter easier to engage with. Additionally in my cast paper works I consider the predetermined ways of moving, living, and acting in domestic space, and I subvert this through interacting with objects outside of the norm. The resulting sculptures act as an unstable archive of domestic space.  

April 2026 - DAAPworks, Reed Gallery (Cincinnati, OH)

April 2026 - 5th Floor Art Fair, Tabula Rasa & Studios (Cincinnati, OH)

October 2023 - Made In Camp, Camp Washington Urban Revitalization Corp. (Cincinnati, OH)

October 2023 - Planet LOVE Showcase, The Well (Cincinnati, OH)

November 2022 - Sophomore Research Studio Exhibition, Tabula Rasa (Cincinnati, OH)

Email:

cook2my@mail.uc.edu

Instagram:

@mjcookarts

MJ Cook CV 2026