Mixed Media

Fiber Arts

Contact Information

1624 W. Ritner Street
Philadelphia, PA 19145
tel: 215-520-1511
e-mail:
www.nicolebarrick.com
Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.

Artist Statement

I am interested in investigating the power of symbols to bring forth energy from objects and images. I strive to develop my own vocabulary of symbology to connect with spirit as I work.

I primarily make paintings and craft hair. I started using hair because of my interest in Victorian hair art which was primarily made to honor a passed loved one. At the time I began my investigation into hair art, I had lost many important people, however, the meaning and intent changed through the process of making. I have gone from using real hair, collected from friends and strangers, to fake hair in neon bold colors. My color palette carries over into my paintings. I paint on traditional surfaces, but also paint dresses, transforming them into ceremonial garb.

The way I use material pulls from a history of women’s craft work. My work connects to the past- Victorianism, pop culture, esoteric studies, women’s history and my own personal history inform the objects and images I make, and synthesize with the present to express an energy that the viewer can hopefully relate to in their own way, within their own context.

Education

2005
Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
MFA

1994
Brown University, Providence, RI
BA, Honors in Visual Arts and in American Civilization

Honors and Awards

2005
Artist Opportunity Grant, Anonymous Foundation, New York, NY

Residencies

2005
Artist in Residence, Partial Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT

Publications

2007
Featured Visual Artist, Black Warrior Review

1997 – 1998
Contributing Illustrator, The Crescent Review, a biannual literary magazine that features Southern writers and artists.

Selected Exhibitions

2010
Off the Wall, Allegra LaViola Gallery, New York, NY

Gallery 543, Philadelphia, PA

2009
Storytellers, Paperworks Gallery, Baltimore MD
Curator: Rudy Shepard

2007
Locally Localized Gravity, Sundown Schoolhouse, ICA, Philadelphia, PA

2006
On the Verge, Sub Basement Gallery, Baltimore, MD

Annual Juried Show, School 33 Art Center, Baltimore, MD
Juror: Tosha Grantham

2005
Fox Gallery, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
Juror: Marianne Boesky

MFA II Thesis Show, Meyerhoff Gallery, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD

Chocolate Affair Event, Center for Poverty Solutions, Baltimore, MD

2004
Hoffberger Painting Program, Fox Gallery, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD

Hall of Portraits, Artscape, Baltimore, MD

The Ready-made Show, Chela Gallery, Baltimore, MD