Joseph’s formal training as an artist started in San Francisco at the Art Institute in 1970. Driven by an insatiable desire to depict his dreams, he loves drawing from nature, working plen-aire. During his formative years, music and songwriting meshed with creating soundtracks for many painting and drawing series. These interests in naturalism and symbolism came together in Coco’s Master of Fine Arts degree, Rutgers University, New Jersey in 1986.
Such influences of nature, mythology and the archetypal themes can be seen in Coco’s painting series: - SOUND IMAGE / FALLS RIVER concerning synesthesia. Joe combined his original instrumental music composed for the art into a soundtrack for his original video. -SOLAR ECLIPSE AND A NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST, a drawing series, seeks to heal personal and societal fears of nuclear annihilation/isolation through dream imagery. SOLAR ECLIPSE toured the United States in ten solo exhibits from 1984 through 1994. -THE LAST FULL MOON series is a continuing series of paintings. Each painting is started in December on the day the full moon rises. This is an autobiographical project that includes Joseph’s fascination with astronomy and astrology. With over 130 individual images created to date. - FOLIAGE has been an on-going series for over thirty years. Capturing light on the surface of short-lived blossoms, Foliage started in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1975. Coco concentrates on particular times of day, and particular blossoming forms, often working in diptych formats, to canvases as large as 66”x42”, as triptych wall installations ten feet tall.
Over 550 paintings, drawings, prints, are collected in over 350 public and private collections. With 70 solo shows in America and Europe, Joe has exhibited in over 80 competitive and collective shows since 1970. His work is collected in museums: Gulbenkian - Lisbon; Kridel Securities- Paris; Gallaria Nazionale Di Contemporaneo - Rome; Institute of Contemporary Art- Boston. From 2014 to 2019 Coco exhibited various series from his oeuvre at the OLD SOUK GALLERY-Nadar Group in Hackettstown, New Jersey.
Currently Coco is teaching at Montclair State and CentenaryUniversity’s in New Jersey, as well as Delaware Valley University, Doylestown, PA.
Joseph will be on hand at the IAHCHC’s February 21st meeting to discuss the 50th anniversary of his THE LAST FULL MOON SERIES – described above with a number of works created in Joseph’s ancestral homeland of Sicily.
Past Meeting Programs
March 2022 - Dr. William Connell February 2022 - Vittorio Vettori, Italian Wines
February 2020 - Arturo Spinetti, Singer January 2020 - Sal De Sapio, Constantino Brumidi - the Michelangelo of America
November 2019 - Joe Quagliano and Mark Cardillo, Italian American Baseball Foundation October 2019 - Constance Kyriacos and Paula Phillips, Folk Dancers and Singers September 2019 - Gary Dee, Singer/Entertainer June 2019 - Annual Scholarship Awards Night May 2019 - Joe Mannino, Italian Bakery and Espresso Bar April 2019 - Annual Foundation Gala honoring Paul and Norma Santella March 2019 - Mary Lou and Jerome Bongiorno, Producers February 2019 - Mike DeLucia: Author, Teacher January 2019 - Dr. Ottavio Balena
November 2017 - Dr. Ottavio Balena, Cultural Comparative Geography of Italy's Provinces. October 2017 - Dr. William Connell September 2017 - Susan LangSapora June 2017 - Scholarship Awards Night! May 2016 - Richard Muti April 2017 - 3rd Annual Gala March 2017 - Richard Stillman February 2017 - Andrea' Cassar January 2017 - Kevin Corcoran
November 2015 - Chef Christine Ayers October 2015 - Heritage Night – What is Your Ancestry or Ascendena? September 2015 - Joseph DeFranco, Author June 2015 - Jerry Castaldo, Entertainer; Scholarship Awards Night! May 2015 - Dr. William J. Connell April 2015 - John Richetta, Musician February 2015 - Joseph R. Pucciatti & Sandra Milstein-Pucciatti, Founders of Boheme Opera NJ January 2015 - Dr. Ottavio Balena, Italian History
November 2014 - Carol Barbieri October 2014 - Chef Christine Ayers, Grand Colonial September 2014 - Dr. Mary Ann Re, Director of the Coccia Institute June 2014 - Lou Pompilio, Entertainer; Scholarship Awards Night! May 2014 - Rosary Scacciaferro Gilheany, Author April 2014 - Arthur J. Femenella, Stained Glass Artisan March 2014 - Giuseppe Luisi, Banfi Vintners February 2014 - Sal and Michael DeSapio, Viaggi Italiani January 2014 - Catherine Sprague, Pianist, Author
November 2013 - Bill Deni, Sal and Michael DeSapio: Italian Travels October 2013 - Sam Faiello: Public Relations Professional, Novelist September 2013 - Andre' DiMino: A National Leader of the Italian American Community June 2013 - Carmen Jon: Singer, Entertainer; Scholarship Awards Night May 2013 - Charles Haas: Titanic Historian April 2013 - Mike Manella, March 2013 - Al Notabartolo: Engineer, Brick-Oven Pizza Guru February 2013 - Anthony Del Aversano: Entrepreneur, Author: "It's Gravy, not Sauce!" January 2013 - Donna Arold: Inn Keeper, Entrepreneur
November 2011 - Andrea Barbaria: Italian Consul June 2011 - Bob Marino: Singer/Entertainer; Scholarship Awards Night May 2011 - Vicki Vasilopoulos: Director/Producer April 2011 - Jonathan Yalenti of Benfatto Coffee March 2011 - Dr. Felice Caldarella: MD, FACE, MDE, FACP February 2011 - Guy DeSapio: Author, Poet: "I Have His Letters Still"
June 2010 - Dan Torrone, aka "Dr. D"; Scholarship Awards Night May 2010 - John Paolini: Paolini Cast Stone, Inc. April 2010 - Vincenzo Sagari: Vias Imports March 2010 - Spencer Peck: Coinage of the Roman Republic February 2010 - Carl Carabelli: President, Italian American National Hall of Fame
May 2009 - Dan Torrone, aka "Dr. D" April 2009 - Sam Faiello:- The Rocky Road to a Novel March 2009 - Tenor James Valenti
June 2006 - Scholarship Awards Night May 2006 - Greg Napolitan: Chainsaw Artist April 2006 - Anthony Carabelli, Jr.: Director and Public Relations for NJ State Italian Commission March 2006 - What Does it Mean to be a Second or Third Generation Italian-American? February 2006 - Biography of Bishop John Smith January 2006 - NJ's Treasure Trove of Italian and Italian-American History