Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Copies of digital files will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request.
The Joe Cox Papers contain correspondence, photographs, newspaper and other materials documenting the life of Joe Cox, an artist and professor for the North Carolina State University School of Design. The collection also includes slides of his artistic works, sketches spanning his entire creative lifetime, and some materials relating to his service in the United States Air Force during the second World War.
Joseph H. Cox (1915-1997) was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and studied art at the John Herron Art School and the University of Iowa. Cox began exhibiting early in his career with entries in the 1939 Golden Gate International Exhibition in San Francisco and the 1941 Carnegie International exhibition. He also created murals in two United States Post Offices, and received funding through the New Deal. He taught art at universities in Iowa, Florida, and Tennessee, but most of his career was spent at North Carolina State University. He became one of North Carolina’s leading artists and art educators. In the 1950s, Joe and Betsy Cox discovered the town of Oriental, North Carolina, and a passion for sailing. He was one of the founding members of the Neuse Sailing Association, named after the Neuse River which Oriental, North Carolina, sits on the banks of. Paintings and murals by Joe Cox are found in the collections of numerous museums and corporate offices throughout the United States. His images are primarily urban landscapes, and he worked in oils, watercolors and acrylics.
Joseph H. Cox (1915-1997) was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and studied art at the John Herron Art School and the University of Iowa. Cox began exhibiting early in his career with entries in the 1939 Golden Gate International Exhibition in San Francisco and the 1941 Carnegie International exhibition. He also created murals in two United States Post Offices, and received funding through the New Deal. He taught art at universities in Iowa, Florida, and Tennessee, but most of his career was spent at North Carolina State University. He became one of North Carolina’s leading artists and art educators. In the 1950s, Joe and Betsy Cox discovered the town of Oriental, North Carolina, and a passion for sailing. He was one of the founding members of the Neuse Sailing Association, named after the Neuse River which Oriental, North Carolina, sits on the banks of. Paintings and murals by Joe Cox are found in the collections of numerous museums and corporate offices throughout the United States. His images are primarily urban landscapes, and he worked in oils, watercolors and acrylics.
The Joseph H. Cox Papers contain correspondence, photographs, newspaper and other materials documenting the life of Joe Cox, an artist and professor for the North Carolina State University School of Design. The collection also includes slides of his artistic works, sketches spanning his entire creative lifetime, and some materials relating to his service in the United States Air Force during the second World War.
This collection is organized into 4 series: Series 01. Personal Papers, Publicity, and Project Files; Series 02. Photographs and Slides; Series 03. Unpublished Materials; Series 04. Paintings
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries’ “Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain,” the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy’s "Is It Protected by Copyright?," and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.
[Identification of item], Joe Cox Papers, MC 00406, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Gift of the North Carolina Division of Archives and History and Joseph H. Cox and family through Wayne Taylor and The Friends of Joe Cox (Accession 2011.0065)
Processed by: Processed by: Judy Allen Dodson, 2011; machine-readable finding aid by: Judy Allen Dodson and Todd Kosmerick, 2011-2014. Additional processing and updated finding aid created by Bennett Chapman, May 2017.
The collection is organized into four principal series:
The first series consists of various written materials. It is divided into three subseries, Personal Papers, Publicity, and Project Files. The first subseries contains only a few folders relating to correspondence, and some notes written by Joseph Cox. The second subseries is mostly newspaper articles, and scans of newspaper articles. The final subseries contains materials created by Joe Cox during the course of projects, as well as materials pertaining to projects that involved him, however it also contains copies of the magazine The Ford Times, which Joseph Cox contributed to.
Materials are arranged in alphabetical order within subseries; physical material remain in the sequential order in which they were received. One exception is legal sized material, which has been placed in legalbox 2.
After review, access to the digital copies may be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request.
The Special Collections Research Center, NC State University Libraries, has digital copies of some or all of these materials.
Digital copy exists. Pending staff review and approval, access will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request. Access may be restricted.
File count is approximate and may exclude system files, deleted files, and duplicates that may have been created during processing.
Digital copy exists. Pending staff review and approval, access will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request. Access may be restricted.
File count is approximate and may exclude system files, deleted files, and duplicates that may have been created during processing.
The first subseries contains slides of Joseph Cox’s paintings and murals. The second contains photographs of his artistic works. And the final subseries, as its title would suggest, contains personal photographs.
This series is arranged by format.
Access to physical material and digital files not available online may be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room after staff review.
Some materials may not have been digitized or made available online.
The first subseries consists of sketches Joseph Cox, which were numbered and span the years from 1931 to 1993. The second subseries contains three books and a binder with information about awards. The final subseries contains materials that relate to the biography that was created in 1995.
This material is arranged by format.
The Painting series contains 21 paintings in various media, mostly in oil and acrylic. They are representative of the more abstract style Cox gravitated to later in his career.
25 x 18 inches, watercolor on paper
40 x 40 inches, oil on linen
48 x 48 inches, acrylic on canvas
34 x 46 inches, acrylic on canvas
36 x 42 inches, oil on canvas
34 x 36 inches, acrylic and India ink on canvas
19 x 24 inches, acrylic and India ink on paper
14 x 27 inches, watercolor and India ink on paper
16 x 20 inches, acrylic on canvas
32 x 47 inches, acrylic and india ink on canvas
10 x 14 inches, mixed media on paper
12 x 18 inches, mixed media on canvas
12 x 18 inches, mixed media on canvas
44 x 28 inches, acrylic and india ink on canvas
34 x 47 inches, acrylic and india ink on canvas
21 x 29 inches, watercolor and india ink on paper
107 x 165 inches, latex on canvas
107 x 165 inches, latex on canvas
14 x 19 inches, acrylic on paper
22 x 40 inches, acrylic and india ink on canvas
39 x 60 inches, oil on canvas
Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Copies of digital files will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request.
For more information contact us via mail, phone, or our web form.
Mailing address:
Special Collections Research Center
Box 7111
Raleigh, NC, 27695-7111
Phone: (919) 515-2273
[Identification of item], Joe Cox Papers, MC 00406, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries’ “Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain,” the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy’s "Is It Protected by Copyright?," and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.