Tim Rollins and K.O.S.

Tim Rollins was an American artist, educator, and activist who was born on September 22, 1955, in Pittsfield, Maine. He grew up in the Bronx, New York City, and attended the School of Visual Arts and New York University.

Rollins was best known for his collaborative work with the group he founded called K.O.S. (Kids of Survival). The group consisted of a diverse group of students, many of whom came from low-income backgrounds, who worked with Rollins to create art that explored political and social issues.

Rollins began working with the K.O.S. group in the 1980s, while he was teaching art in a public school in the South Bronx. 

Over the years, Rollins and K.O.S. collaborated on many projects that explored a wide range of social and political issues, including racism, poverty, and environmental degradation. One of their most famous projects was "The Origin of Species," which was created in response to the controversy over the teaching of evolution in public schools. The project consisted of a series of paintings that combined pages from Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" with images of African American cultural icons.

Rollins and K.O.S. gained international recognition for their work and exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

Rollins continued to teach and work with K.O.S. until his death on December 26, 2017, in New York City. His legacy as an artist and educator lives on through the many students he inspired and the work he created with K.O.S.