Join us for a free gallery reception on Thursday, June 3, from 6 PM - 8 PM at the WBGO Art Gallery. View the exhibit, meet the artist, and enjoy live entertainment.
Artist's statement
I use disintegrating textiles and other recycled materials as part of my creative process. Rescuing old lace and linens is also my way of paying homage to the countless women like my mother and grandmother. Skilled artists in their own right, who anonymously created their needle work to pass on to future generations....
I grew up watching my Grandmother recycle – everything! Nothing in our house was ever wasted. With this current series of work I began to remember her, and her surgeon's skill for dissecting old garments. First, off came the buttons, then any interesting adornment. Finally, out came the thread. Every bit it took to construct the garment.... I don't know how she managed but there would be at the end a neat pile of it. Strong. Relatively unbroken. Ready for reuse. Perhaps even with the same fabric it would show up again as a pillow cushion -- or even kitchen curtain trim. An unknown health issue left her handicapped as a young woman, yet I never heard her lament her fate. Quiet and self assured, she taught me how to use color, unbridle my imagination, and to be courageous and independent... American poet William Stafford says: "There's a thread you follow [your entire life]. It goes among things that change. But it doesn't change... While you hold it you can't get lost...." I look at the string of consciousness that has led me to this point and smile. I think my Grandmother would approve.
Rosalind Nzinga Nichol, born Rosalind Vaughn in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a mixed media artist, and papermaker who began work as an illustrator. She relocated to Los Angeles, California and eventually developed an interest in mixed media art and papier-mache sculptures, while working as a muralist and graphic designer. Inspired by a trip to Ghana, West Africa Nichol gained a new appreciation for using her work to convey stories, and also fell in love with all the texture and pattern the women used in their dress. After completing her B.F.A. at Califronia State University Long Beach and M.A. in Education Curriculum from Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, she settled in New Jersey in 2000, and began making paper – which was a natural evolution from all the processes she had experienced. More recently, her work has been focused on combining painting with papermaking as a single medium.
Nichol loves introducing people to the ancient art of papermaking. She explains, “There is a special spiritual quality about this art form that transcends skill sets and allows anyone the opportunity to explore their inner creativity. ...I find the internal persona much more interesting than the one that is showing on the facade... Getting at the root, finding the history or meaning of things always seems more important to me and my work.”
- AFFILIATIONS:
- Art in the Atrium Board, Dieu Donné, Friends of Dard Hunter (FDH)
- International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA)
- Montclair Art Museum African American Cultural Committee
- The Newark Preservation & Landmarks Committee Board - VP Communications
- The Newark Museum, Studio Montclair
For more information about Rosalind Nzinga Nichol, visit www.teaandwings.com
Join us for refreshments, entertainment and meet Rosalind Nzinga Nichol, at our Gallery Reception in the WBGO studio, Thursday, June 3, from 6 - 8 pm. There will also be a live performance.
It's free and open to the public.
You can also visit the WBGO gallery during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 9AM to 5PM.
Special thanks to our sponsors Barefoot Cellars, E&J Distillers and Whole Foods.
