Opening Gallery Reception and Artist Talk
Reception: May 10th 5pm - 7pm
Artists Talk: 6:30pm

It’s time to awake to the term woke. Woke has been demonized in our polarized environment. We need to reclaim woke as a mainstream term that emphasizes inclusivity of all of us. The consciousness of bad actions needs to encourage us to speak out strong enough and loud enough to bring about positive change. We strive to promote awareness, inspire learning and encourage rational thinking through this project.

-Ginny and Joe Cooper

Master craftsman and instructor, Joe Cooper discovered his love of woodworking as a very young boy. He escaped to his parents’ garage where he found a hammer, nails, a saw and a vivid imagination. Joe’s formal education includes an AA in Cabinet and Mill Work from LA Trade Technical College, a BA in industrial Arts with a major in Wood Technology from Cal State University LA, a teaching credential from UCLA and numerous art classes at Otis College. In the 1970’s Joe designed his own line of furniture which sold at a number of stores in the Los Angeles area and beyond. Joe started teaching in 1979 and taught 28 years for the LA Unified School District. He also taught at Otis College for a number of years. He helped start Trade Tech’s Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) program as well as educating teachers in the field of CNC for Paton Group, a cutting-edge company in Industrial Arts education. As a teacher, articles about Joe appear in Pacific Woodworker and Woodworker West. Joe’s fabrications and name have appeared in Architectural Digest, Dwell, Interior Design and Faith and Form magazines. His business supplied signage and support furniture for exhibits in most of the major museums in Los Angeles, including the Black History Museum, the Getty, LACMA, and the Gene Autry Museum. In 2016 Joe closed his shop in Los Angeles and moved to Fort Bragg with his wife Ginny. He has set his dream shop in a beautiful barn that he designed and built. He has donated his time and work to Gloriana’s production sets, Noyo Marine Center’s dome, as well as numerous other projects here in Fort Bragg.