Sue Coe

Artist: Sue Coe
Title: She Packed Her Trunk And Said Goodbye To The Circus
Medium: Prints and Multiples, Colored woodcut on natural kitakata paper
Size: 20" X 16"
Date: 2006

About the Artist: Sue Coe was born in Tamworth, Staffordshire in November 1951. She attended the Chelsea School of Art in London from 1968 to 1971 and the Royal College of Art from 1970 to 1973. After graduating she moved to New York and began teaching at the School of Visual Arts until 1978. Sue began illustrating for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, producing images protesting political and social injustices. She grew up close to a slaughterhouse and developed a passion to stop cruelty to animals, and in the 1980's and 1990's the mistreatment of animals for scientific experimentation and food became an increasing theme in her work. She lived in New York City from 1972 to 2001 and currently lives in upstate New York.

Artist Statement: We despair for the fate of animals, the senseless cruelties inflicted upon them by our species, their and our own helplessness in the face of mass slaughter--all this is true. And if we could really see what we have done to the earth, we would go mad. Alongside that is yet another truth: there is a palpable goodness all around us, even in the most terrible times, that all things point to, like the north star.

About the Work, etc.: Sue Coe, in my opinion, is one of the most successful artists in directing attention to misdeeds in our society. She never limits herself to specific topics, and even in her work dealing with animal cruelty, she covers just about every form of the problem. This piece, for example, covers the maltreatment of elephants in the circus, something rarely seen or focused on in art, and it doesn't stop there. She covers animal abuse topics ranging from scientific testing and experimentation, to factory farming and slaughterhouses, to mass fishing, shark fishing, and BP oil spills. I chose this piece in particular, because it shows her range in topics and that she truly cares for all creatures. Though most of her work does focus on slaughterhouses, this piece shows that she still sheds light on issues that many people may not even think about, or issues that are not talked about as much as they should be. Coe's work pushes boundaries and it exudes the urgency and passion she carries.