Cooper Wright
Cooper Miller Wright is a Philadelphia-based artist, designer, and educator whose work explores object agency, material transformation, and the intersection of craft and digital fabrication. Working across ceramics, sculpture, sound, and installation, he utilizes the imagery and techniques of alchemy, technology, and speculative workflows and systems to examine how objects may carry meaning and experience.
Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Wright earned a BFA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2015 and an MS in Design Research from Drexel University. His work has been exhibited at the Pearlstein Gallery, Area 405, Gallery CA, and Dudd Haus, where he is also a member. He currently teaches and manages fabrication facilities within Drexel University’s Product Design program.
Q&A with Cooper Wright
Where did you grow up? How did it influence you?
I grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey. Not sure how much it influenced me more than being so close to New York City, which gave an ability to take a 15 minute bus to museums, galleries, music, etc. Feeling in the center of the world as a kid made creatively driven opportunity feel plausible, and not once have I felt that an artist couldn't make it in this world.
What’s the most prized object you own? Why?
Probably my bike. I've never owned a car, and feeling like I can see the world from the outside as I move through it makes thinking and dreaming much more feasible. I take a bike ride every often through Philadelphia just to look at steeples, which I imagine comes back into my work one way or another.
In a world overflowing with objects, why continue making new things?
I find objects to be becoming more and more stale. Stagnation is my greatest fear, and in world full of potential aesthetic, formal, and material outcomes, it would be a shame to not help drive that forward as much as we can.
What’s your favorite material to work with and why?
To be honest, I don't think I have a favorite material. Desired process and concept should drive these sorts of decisions, and my goal as a maker has always been to use the right material for the job. Throughout my professional career, I've always strived to learn as many methods and materials as possible for the sake of this freedom.
If you designed a chair describing your relationship with your father, what would it look like?
A pretty polished ladder back. Sturdy, a little bit stoic, and understated.
Tell us about something that inspires you.
Reverence is the thing I care most about. Things feel so passive in the modern world, and I wonder what things might feel like if we cared and made a bigger deal about the little things.
Any advice for young designers?
Do as much as possible, and do it as hard as you can. As a teacher of young designers, I find that the students who squeeze the lemon the hardest get the most juice.
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