Sculpting Time: A Conversation With Visual Artist Andrew Cozzens

By Kevin Murphy Wilson • Photos Provided 

Andrew Cozzens is a Louisville-based visual artist, educator, and curator who researches time subjectivity and its effect on human experience and aging. His intriguing creations often give a metaphorical nod to the durational performance art of [Taiwanese-born master] Tehching Hsiehis, encouraging the viewer to experience the present, develop a past, consider the future, and realize their place within the continuum of the work. Outside of his studio practice, Cozzens serves as a Board member of Louisville Visual Art, Associate Professor [and acting Dean] of Studio Art at Kentucky College of Art + Design, and Director of the 849 Gallery. We recently caught up with the thought-provoking artist for a quick look (depending on the reader’s own perception of time) backwards and forwards. 

VOICE-TRIBUNE: As an artist, how has your relationship to media and processes evolved over the years? 

Andrew Cozzens: “I have always loved working with my hands and making things, whether it was considered ‘art’ or not. Art wasn’t something I really took seriously as a possible profession until I enrolled as an undergraduate at Murray State University, followed by ‘Wash U’ [Washington University in St. Louis] for graduate school. But, as an artist, I am now able to research any topic I am interested in and address any issues I am concerned about through my creative practice. Much of my art falls into the category of sculpture. I love to draw, too. And even though I rarely exhibit any of my drawings, I’ve learned so much from the process of just looking and observing. Overall, my choice of material and process stems from the specific goal for each artwork, and I rarely work with the same materials for too long because I enjoy learning new methods of making. In some ways I feel as though my real art is what happens in the studio during the process of creation and the artwork that most people see is the residue.” 

VT: Can you tell us a bit about your interest in Time? 

AC: “Despite what most people think, I actually hate time, particularly the burden it often places upon people’s lives. We rarely think of time outside of stress, anxiety, or the feeling of being late or running out of time. So, my interest is actually a constant drive to overcome these structural issues and develop new approaches to experiencing time. This is why my research often relates to aging, nature, and boredom. I was especially drawn to the writing of Henri Bergson. In his book, ‘Time and Free Will,’ for example, he explores the idea of ‘dure’e’ where time experience is evaluated according to the subjective individual human experience of time as opposed to the abstract mathematical/atomic calculation or measurement of time. It is fascinating to me to consider how we as humans have evolved within the natural world, and our bodies and minds were not built for the speed in which we now experience time. In fact, the aging process actually slows and the world opens up when our time perception shifts to a slower, more intentional, and more natural pace.” 

VT: Although you are based here in Louisville, you’ve frequently shown your work all over the world. What did these experiences teach you? 

AC: “I have been very fortunate in that my art has brought about several opportunities to travel the world, exhibit my work in different contexts, and have creative discourse with amazing people from different cultures. My interest and research about time has led me to become a member of the International Society for the Study of Time, and through this interdisciplinary group of scholars I have been able to further my discourse, understanding, and discussion about the subject of time as a universal concept and construct that permeates cultures around the world. 

Through the support of KyCAD, the Great Meadows Foundation, and other organizations, I have been able to travel to Taiwan, Mexico, France, Japan, Canada, Scotland, and Thailand. Each of these places greatly informed the direction of my work in different ways. For instance, when I was an Artist in Residence [at the Cite’Internationale Des Arts] in Paris, France, I got to work on a medieval castle that was being built over 50+ years, using only methods and technology available during that time period, and it was a refreshing look at the patience involved in earlier eras of craftsmanship, and the value of prioritizing quality over expediency.”

VT: Your creative practice seems inextricably linked to community and education. Would you agree with that assessment?

AC: “Definitely. Community arts organizations and art education are important to me because art promotes wonder, investigation, consideration, personal reflection, and expression of human experience. Artists play a much more significant role in the world than I think most folks realize. Artists gather knowledge from every sector of our society and dissect and distill it in the context of humanity. It has been said that, ‘math and science provide the how while art provides the why, or at least the reason for existence,’ and interestingly enough, I love using math and studying science to create art. As a member of the team that has built the Kentucky College of Art + Design, I have helped collaboratively design an interdisciplinary curriculum there that allows our students to bring their individual interest and research to any media and process they choose. In this way, it directly connects back to my own creative practice.”

VT: You have accomplished quite a lot already. What comes next for you?

AC: “I currently have a lot of ideas cooking, but my next immediate project is a collaboration with a ceramic and environmental artist, TJ Edwards. We are both developing individual and collaborative works dealing with issues of time and wellbeing while using earth as our primary material. 

We are planning to exhibit our ongoing work together this summer at the Upstairs Project Space at Louisville Visual Art in the Portland neighborhood. Beyond that, I am looking forward to exhibiting work and presenting research next year in Sardinia, Italy, as part of the International Society for the Study of Time Conference [held in a different location every three years]. I am also excited about what comes next for KyCAD, since we just achieved institutional accreditation [from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges] and membership in AICAD [Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design], which is a real game-changer for the students.” 

For more information, visit andrewcozzens.com.