Susan Cooper

You Might Recognize:

TWENTIETH CENTURY PERSPECTIVES, Denver City and County Building, Murals, Denver CO

FIRST ROSE, Eisenhower Park, Denver, CO

NATURES'S RHYTHMS, Mc Laughlin School, Anchorage, Alaska

LaVILLA BRAID, Ritz theater and LaVilla Museum, Jacksonville, FL

FOOTNOTE, St. Lewis, MI

PURSUING PERSPECTIVES, Denver Public Library, Denver

Forty three Windscreens, for Light Rail in greater Denver

SILK CABLE, CO State University, Pueblo, CO

HOZHO Ft. Lewis College, Durango CO

Public Art Average Success Rate:

50% maybe. I think that the average rate is quite low, maybe 15%. I never applied for many because most did not interest me. It was a bit easier that way.

 Rejected Project Proposal

Proposed Project Location:

enclosed relief panels in windows. placed above the benches at the main train station in downtown Dallas.

Concept:

The site was a downtown Dallas light rails station. I chose to create images for 6 windscreens that appear as train windows. On one side the images appear as views out of the window, each frame a different shape. Each of the 6 "windows" shows a train from the earliest one to the then current one. They are would be high relief paintings and are planned to be wood.

The back of each panel had an additional one, with maps and other info about the one on the front side. Their frames match.

"I Regret to Inform You..." Artist Response:

1996. I had studied the Dallas history deeply and put a lot of time into the model. It was early in my career in public art and this was important to me. I worked arduously on my presentation for 6 weeks. At the end of my presentation 3 people stood up and applauded with smiles! 3 more did not. I was not accepted for the project. I was disappointed but not surprised. A local man was chosen and they knew him. His project was fine enough. I was offered $ 1000 for the models. Some might be flattered by that. I was insulted by the offer. I decided to keep them. My husband, Rick Cohn, is a psychiatrist and had them in his office. Many of his patients got a kick out of them. Now they are on exhibit at the Arvada Center. I am getting a kick out of that.

Additional Thoughts:

I met another artist , Wopo Holup, who also was rejected. We got to know each other and walked over to the famous original Neiman Marcus and both bought pearl earrings. Hopo and I were friends for many more years until her demise.