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Tim Rollins & K.O.S.
Amerika: For the Children of Tampa
The Frogs: For the Children of Tampa
1997
Tim Rollins & K.O.S. emerged from a public high school art education setting to establish themselves as an internationally renowned art group. They are represented by the Mary Boone Gallery, one of the world's most prestigious commercial fine art galleries. Their signature work involves the creation of visual images based on classical literature.
In the early 1980's Tim Rollins was hired as a public high school teacher, and began a decade long relationship with a group of students that would eventually be known as K.O.S. for Kids of Survival. These students had been labeled by the school administrators as marginal performers and likely dropouts. Rollins quickly realized these students had talent as visual artists, though they had yet to master reading and writing. He decided to make reading the classics a prerequisite and point of departure for the creation of visual images by these students. The success of this experiment is measured by the fact that 9 of the original eleven students have completed their college education or are currently enrolled in university programs.
Tim Rollins held a series of workshops with elementary, middle and high school students from Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas county. Through these workshops the students created visual images based on Franz Kafka's Amerika and Aristophanes' The Frogs. Kafka's Amerika was the theme for the high school group, while younger children explored Aristophanes' The Frogs. Rollins and his own students, K.O.S., translated the drawings produced in Tampa into the full size murals installed in the USF Education building.
Amerika: For the Children of Tampa
The Frogs: For the Children of Tampa
made possible by Florida's Art in State Buildings Program
The pieces installed in the rotunda of the Education building.
Tim Rollins touching up Amerika before installation.
A high school artist at work on Amerika.
A member of K.O.S. at work on The Frogs in their New York studio.
Tim Rollins touching up The Frogs during installation.
The elementary school children who participated in the workshop to design the piece based on Aristophanes' The Frogs.
The high school children who participated in the workshop to design the piece based on Kafka's Amerika.
Questions? If you have any questions about the Public Art Program at USF, please email Vincent Ahern.
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Copyright and Reproduction
The electronic images available on this site are subject to copyright and may be covered by other restrictions as well. The images are made available to the general public as a representation of USF's Public Art collection. Copy or redistribution in any manner for commercial use is not permitted. Anyone wishing to use any of these images for commercial use, publication, or for any purpose other than personal fair use must first request and receive prior written permission from the University of South Florida Institute for Research in Art. Please contact Associate Director Alexa Favata at 813.974.4324 for more information.