My work engages texts, but most importantly the critical text, “Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?” by Martin Luther King Jr. whereby King warned the masses that the “evils” of racism, materialism, poverty, and militarism endangered the progression of society. My practice is centered on the “voices” at the bottom- the vulnerable, the disenfranchised, and the poor or working class- which typically are not seen in current art or heard in today’s society.
Cecil Norris was born in 1995 in Shelby, North Carolina, where he currently lives and works. Norris received a BoA from the School of Architecture at UNC at Charlotte. He is now an art teacher at Crest High School, where he hopes to cultivate a new age of artists. One part town crier, one part self-indictment, one part government and corporate protester, and one part dystopian, Norris’s work visualizes the chaos in our lives as we navigate life in a heavily propagandized world.
Solo Exhibitions
2024
“Intersection” - Gaston County Museum, Gastonia, NC.
2023
“Chaos or…” - Cleveland County Arts Council, Shelby, NC.
“Chaos or…” - Brown Gallery, Duke University, Durham, NC.
2021
“UN·EXAMINED” - Jeanne Rauch Gallery, Gastonia, NC.
“UN·EXAMINED” - The Lost Dog Gallery, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Group Exhibitions
2024
LEAP: Artists Explore Outer Space- Greenhill Center for NC Art, Greensboro, NC.
Artfields Competition- Lake City, SC.
2023
69th Annual Durham Art Guild- Durham, NC
Carolina Roots Exhibition- Raleigh, NC.
Annual Juried Competition - Artist Collective Spartanburg, Spartanburg, SC.
Cleveland County Artist Competition - Cleveland County Arts Council, Shelby, NC.
2022
Shut In - Gaston Museum, Dallas, NC.
2021
DAG 67th Annual Juried Exhibition - Durham Art Guild, Durham, NC.
Annual Juried Competition - Artist Collective Spartanburg, Spartanburg, SC.
Printed - Cleveland County Arts Council, Shelby, NC.
Figurative Show- 311 Gallery, Raleigh, NC.
Variance- online exhibition, I like your work podcast.
Student Art Exhibition- Gaston College, Gastonia, NC.
Student Art Exhibition- Fayetteville Technical Community College, Fayetteville, NC.
Head and Sentiment: Dreams of an Artist - Milostka Exhibition Center
Cleveland County Artist Competition - Cleveland County Arts Council, Shelby, NC.
“#NotASterotype” - The London House Center, Athens, Georgia.
“Virtual Show” - Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, New York.
“I Am Woman” - Southern Art Society, Kings Mountain, NC.
2020
“I Am Woman” - Southern Art Society, Kings Mountain, NC.
Cleveland County Artist Competition - Cleveland County Arts Council, Shelby, NC.
“Perspectives” - Cleveland County Arts Council, Shelby, NC.
“The McColl Center Benefit Art Sale” - The McColl Center, Charlotte, NC.
2019
Cleveland County Artist Competition - Cleveland County Arts Council, Shelby, NC.
Awards
2023
Third Place- “69th Annual Durham Art Guild”
Honorable Mention - “Spartanburg Artist Collective”
Third Place- “Cleveland County Artist Competition”
2022
First Place- “Cleveland County Artist Competition”
2021
Third Place- “Annual Juried Competition,” Artist Collective Spartanburg
Second Place- “Student Art Exhibition,” Gaston College
First Place- “I Am Woman,” Southern Art Society
2020
First Place- “I Am Woman,” Southern Art Society
Honorable Mention - Cleveland County Arts Council
Selected for Black Art Rising Competition - LIFE WTR
2019
Honorable Mention- Gaston Community College
Commissions
2021
Public Art Commission, Mural, 10 x 40ft, Cleveland County Arts Council
2020
Public Art Commission, Mural, 10 x 20ft, Arise
Public Art Commission, Mural, 5 x 10ft, Shelby Intermediate School
2019
Public Art Commission, Mural, 10 x 30ft, Lifting Lab