Corey Carrington also known as Grits Capone, is an accomplished Poet, Collagist, and Curator from the Northside of Pittsburgh, PA. Carrington attended Fulton Elementary School, Horace Mann Elementary School, and Arthur J. Rooney Middle School before graduating from Perry Traditional Academy in 2006. He received his degree in Communications & Creative Writing from Slippery Rock University in 2011.
Corey has been writing poetry since the age of 13 and was first recognized by Carnegie Mellon University for his poem, Outside The Box, which received honorable mention in the 2004 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Writing Awards Commemoration Booklet. Assuming the pseudonym of Grits Capone in 2009, Grits has performed at The Shadow Lounge, The August Wilson Center, The Kelly Strayhorn Theater, and Wood Street Galleries among other venues.
As a collagist, Grits' work has been viewed at Social Status, BOOM Concepts, the University Arts Gallery at The Frick Fine Arts Building, and The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. Carrington's main goals as an artist are to demystify & decolonize the world of art meaning he believes that everyone is an artist, art should be accessible to all, and that through artistic expression people can transform their lives and their communities.
Professionally, Corey has been affiliated with the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc for over 10 years through the Alpha Zeta Alpha and Gamma Lambda Sigma chapters respectively. As a ChangeMaker Corey has worked with Partner 4 Work, Allegheny Youth Development, GTECH Strategies, and Public Allies Pittsburgh in the areas of Workforce Development, Education, Community Engagement, and Non-Profit Management.
Corey was the inaugural Emerging Black Arts Leader Apprentice for Contemporary Craft in 2016. In October of 2017 Corey, curated his first exhibition, Electric Kool-Aid, at the Brew House Association for the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh.
Most recently Corey has been awarded an Advancing Black Arts In Pittsburgh Grant, a partnership of the Pittsburgh Foundation & The Heinz Endowments, to create his debut spoken word album, Watermelanin, set to release in the fall of 2018.
Photo by Jason CohnCorey Carrington