ST PAUL, Minn. — Every year, the Guggenheim Foundation awards fellowships to individuals making their mark in various fields. Of the nearly 2,500 applicants this year, 180 were appointed as fellows, including St. Paul's Ta-coumba Tyrone Aiken in the fine arts category.
"I applied for it like 8 or 9 times," Aiken said. "It's an honor. Huge honor."
What makes the recognition even more special? Aiken says he's colorblind. He says his mother figured it out first.
"I've always seen in layers," Aiken said. "My mother taught me the red apple and the green apple and then she had a rose and she put it in between. She said, 'Now which is the red apple?'"
He says he couldn't answer but one thing was clear. Aiken was an artist.
"I've been doing art since I was six," he said. "I did my first show. Made $657.36. The prices were changed by somebody else. I put one cent, two cents, three cents, one dollar, and this lady came and changed them all."
Over the years, many more people believed in him. As a high school student in Evanston, Illinois, he was invited to attend the International Design Conference in Aspen, Colorado. Later in the Twin Cities, Aiken bonded with Jacob Lawrence after skipping the line to offer the famous Harlem Renaissance painter cough drops and tissues because he noticed Lawrence didn't seem well. He says, when he introduced himself, Lawrence recognized his name from one of his paintings on display in the venue's dining room.
His work has since made it onto many platforms, from an Absolut Vodka ad to murals around the Twin Cities. Last year, he contributed to the No Words Series at the Walker Art Center.
"One of the hardest ones," Aiken said of the installment. "That happened because I was suffering from PTSD when (George) Floyd was murdered."
Aiken went on to share a story of a time he says an officer aggressively arrested him in 1968. While his life experiences influence his art, he says he creates it to "heal the hearts of people and their communities by evoking a positive spirit."
"People call me a modern artist and an abstract artist," Aiken said. "I call my work superlative realism. I gave it my own title. Not because I was arrogant. It's just that I didn't fit. I've never really quite fit."
Aiken's next show is Friday, May 13 at Dreamsong in Northeast Minneapolis.
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