MIAD alum selected as finalist in Honda Design and Drive Art Contest

Jimmy Cobb next to his 2023 entry “Mosaic Michigan”

Jimmy Cobb, New Studio Practice: Fine Arts ’22, is one of six finalists selected for Honda’s Design and Drive Art Contest. His tile-based work, “Mosaic Michigan,” is featured on a vinyl-wrapped Honda Pilot and connects the paneled and streamlined nature of modern vehicles with Michigan’s roads and waterways. Cobb, who previously won the 2021 Design and Drive Art Contest with his design “Lakeshore Drive,” credits MIAD with showing him “the expanse of avenues available… I learned it was less about single practices and more about the spectrum of trades that truly makes a well rounded artist.”

The Design and Drive Art Contest, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, draws hundreds of submissions each year and asks artists to create an artwork to be applied to a new Honda. Six finalists have the opportunity to bring their design to life, and the winner will receive a 2-year lease on a 2023 Honda CRV. Honda invites the public to vote on their favorite design. Voting ends September 29th. 

Design and Drive is part of ArtPrize, an international competition which “celebrates artists working in all mediums from anywhere in the world.” ArtPrize publicly displays submissions for 18 days (September 15 to October 2, 2022) in Grand Rapids, MI. Winners are selected by public and juried votes.

“I knew coming into MIAD that I understood the language of paint,” says Jimmy. “What I didn’t… know is all the different places paint can take you!” While at MIAD, Cobb expanded beyond his studio practice to evolve his talents as a muralist, a duality which he has carried into his present-day making philosophy. He urges current students to “find balances between practices that work for them.” Keep up with Jimmy’s work on his website or follow him on Instagram (@jm.cobb).

View Cobb’s submission here and click here to cast your vote before September 29!