User:Laflaneuse/Ta-coumba T. Aiken

Ta-coumba T. Aiken is an artist and activist based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. A 12' x 24' mural he designed that was made with more than 596,000 Lite Brites and assembled by more than 600 volunteers currently holds the World Record for the largest Lite Brite picture ever. It is on display in St. Paul's Union Depot. http://www.artnet.com/artists/ta-coumba-aiken/biography

Early Life and Education
Aiken grew up in Evanston, Illinois, and began drawing when he was three years old. He did his first art exhibit in his parents' basement when he was six years old, and a friend's aunt who was an artist came to see it and bought some of his work. He started college in pre-law at Yale University before deciding to transfer to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where he graduated in 1974.

Works
https://stpaulartcollective.org/saint-paul-artist-ta-coumba-aiken-flyte-time-studios-art-restoration/

https://hennepintheatretrust.org/ta-coumba-t-aiken-art-connects-us/

https://walkerart.org/collections/artists/ta-coumba-aiken

Collaborations
With Seitu Jones

Honors
In 2022, Aiken was awarded a Guggenheim Fine Arts Fellowship. He is the first Black artist from Minnesota to receive this prestigious award.