2024 Featured Artist: Ta-coumba T. Aiken

Ta–coumba is a Twin Cities artist, arts administrator, educator and community activist who focuses on public art and collaborative projects. His “rhythm paintings” on paper and canvas are loose and lively. He has participated in the creation of over 300 murals and public art sculptures with themes ranging from local history to the artist's own style of rhythmic pattern and spirit writing. The artist has served on the boards of the Minneapolis Arts Commission, the African American Cultural Arts Center, Forecast Public Arts, and the St. Paul Art Collective and has acted as an advisor on the arts for both the City of St. Paul and the City of Minneapolis. He has been the recipient of awards including a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship, a Pollock–Krasner Foundation Fellowship and a Bush Foundation Visual Arts Fellowship. His painting entitled, “Forever Saint Paul” was awarded the Guinness Book World Record for the most Lite-Brite pegs ever used (596,000+) to create a painting. This piece is permanently located in the Saint Paul Union Depot. His works can be found in public and private collections including those of the Walker Art Center, The McKnight Foundation, General Mills, Herbie Hancock, Taj Mahal, and Maya Angelou.

Website: ta-coumba.com
Instagram: tacoumba
Facebook: tacoumba

The 2024 Featured Artist is funded by the Hormel Foods Corporation.

Previous Featured Artists

Heather Friedli, 2023 Featured Artist

Victor Yepez, 2022 Featured Artist — See more info about the community mural that was created HERE!

Leslie Barlow, 2021 Featured Artist

Rory Wakemup, 2019 Featured Artist

Michael Sweere, 2018 Featured Artist

Tom Hormel, 2017 Featured Artist

Mary Plaster, 2016 Featured Artist

Paula Elliot, 2015 Featured Artist

Zane York, Joe Sand, Angie Pipkorn & Joan Finnegan, 2014 Featured Artists

Phyllis Yes, 2013 Featured Artist

Eric Anfinson, 2012 Featured Artist