Joe Dreher aka JOEKINGATL
Artist, Architect, Photographer and Poet
I consider myself a social artist. My work is mainly described as installation art. I use a number of tools and mediums to create my work including photography, murals, street art, wheatpaste, painting, sculpture, architecture, poetry to name a few. People are my primary interest and it is my appreciation for people that informs so much of my creative work. My work is always multi-dimensional because I see a world where people are not flat. They are not obstacles, or heroes, or rogues, or saints. They are people – dimensional and deep. There are no strangers in your world when you meet people fully prepared to accept who they are. My work does not seek to capture or take but to give and to elevate.
I pride myself on making art that has lasting in relevance, inclusive and many times interactive. I welcome and enjoy collaboration and I have a way turning personal projects inside out, finding a way to make the work be less about the author and more integral to a community. I have collaborated with artists of all types including dancers both as a performer and exhibitor. I am inspired by others artists and people in my community and I believe in giving back for the opportunities i have been given. I do so by creating new opportunities not just for myself but to give others a chance to create. No matter how my work may evolve, or into what media I may explore, you will always find that I center myself through my great affection for people.
Joe is a graduate of Savannah College of Art & Design with a Master of Architecture Degree and the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in Architecture Award, AIA Design Award and the Commitment to Sustainability Award. He is a fellow of The Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and 701 CCA Residency program. He has executed commissions for many private and public entities.