Grace Nickel » Uncategorized

Résumé

Michael Zajac — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:20:59 +0000

This résumé is also available in Acrobat PDF format, suitable for printing (56 kB, requires Acrobat Reader)
gnickel-resume-200804.pdf

Education

2008: MFA (Master of Fine Arts) NSCAD University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
1981: Museology Studies, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba
1980: BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts – Ceramics Major) University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Solo Exhibitions

2008: Devastatus Rememorari, MFA solo exhibition at the Mary E. Black Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia
2002: A Quiet Passage, Grace Nickel—solo exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, curated by Helen Delacretaz, Curator of Decorative Art and Fine Contemporary Craft at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, exhibition catalogue
1996: Commissioned Works for a cabin on Lake of the Woods, Ontario—solo exhibition of 16 commissioned works before permanent installation, Ace Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
1987: Overlay, Ace Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba—solo exhibition

Selected Group Exhibitions

International Exhibitions

2007: Inaugural Exhibition of the Canadian Ceramic Museum, Fuping, China – FLICAM (Fule International Ceramic Art Museums) project – the charter collection of Canadian work will remain on permanent view
2004: The First Taiwan Ceramic Biennale 2004, international juried competition sponsored by the Yingge Ceramics Museum, exhibition held at the Yingge Ceramics Museum, Yingge, Taiwan, January to June 2004, the exhibition traveled to the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, July to September 2004
2003: Ceramic Lantern Exhibition, Yingge Ceramics Museum, in conjunction with the Museum’s Annual Ceramic Festival—the lanterns were created in the International Large Outdoor Ceramic Lantern Workshop, Taiwan
2000: The Sixth Taiwan Golden Ceramics Awards, international juried competition with the winning entries exhibited at the Yingge Ceramics Museum, Yingge, Taiwan (Judge’s Special Award)
2000: Thick as a Brick: By the Flue, traveling exhibition of ceramics by Saskatchewan and Manitoba artists, exhibited at NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts), Denver, Colorado, March 2000; Manitoba Crafts Council Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, January to February 2000; and Saskatchewan Craft Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, December 1999 to January 2000
1999: Diverse: Delegates’ Exhibition, The Western Australian School of Art, Design & Media Gallery, Perth, Australia—international invitational group exhibition; Edge to Edge: Ceramics from Australia and Canada, Perth Galleries, Perth, Australia—international invitational group exhibition
1997: Remotely Inspired: Pottery Workshop and Showroom, Hong Kong—juried exhibition of clay and glass by Manitoba artists, coordinated by the Manitoba Crafts Council, Winnipeg, Manitoba
1995: Ground/Connection, traveling exhibition facilitated by Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art—3 host artists invite 3 mentors to show with them—exhibited in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the Wyman Building during NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts), March 1995; second venue: St. Norbert Arts and Cultural Centre, St. Norbert, Manitoba, November 1995; Clay in Canada: North by Northwest, traveling exhibition of western Canadian ceramics organized by the Manitoba Crafts Council, exhibited in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the Wyman Building during NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts), March 1995; second venue: the Manitoba Crafts Council Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, June 1995
1993: Selected Treasures, traveling portion of A Treasury of Canadian Craft, organized by the Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, BC—exhibited at Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; The Gallery of the Canadian Embassy, Tokyo, Japan; Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre Exhibition Hall, Hong Kong; Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois; Koffler Gallery, North York, Ontario
1992: 1992 International Invitational Exhibition of Ceramic Art, National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan (piece purchased for the permanent collection of the National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan); Fletcher Challenge Ceramics Award, Auckland Museum, Auckland, New Zealand—juried international exhibition
1989: The 2nd International Ceramics Competition ’89 Mino, Japan, Special Exhibition Hall, Tajimi City, Japan—Bronze Award Winner

National Exhibitions

2006: Matter of Clay II, Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery, London, Ontario—invitational exhibition
2005: In the Margins: Canadian Women Working In Clay, an exhibition at the Mary E. Black Gallery, Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia, exhibition curated by Alex McCurdy of Halifax; the second venue for the exhibition was at the Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery in London, Ontario
2003: Genius Loci, Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario—10th anniversary invitational exhibition
1992: A Treasury of Canadian Craft, Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, BC—invitational exhibition
1990: 4th National Biennial of Ceramics, Manoir de Tonnancour, Trois-Rivières, Quebec—juried national exhibition
1989: Ten Artists: Ten Provinces, Harbourfront Festival of Craft & Design 10th Anniversary Exhibition, York Quay Gallery, Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario—invited to be Manitoba’s representative; Recent Work, Galerie Barbara Silverberg Contemporary Ceramics, Montréal, Québec—four-person

Exhibitions in Manitoba

2008: Subconscious City, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
2005: Branching Out, exhibition at the Manitoba Craft Council Exhibition Gallery, Winnipeg—mentor Grace Nickel exhibits with her mentee Candice Ring from Winnipeg and Mei-Yueh Hsu, a graduate student from Taiwan; 10th Anniversary Exhibition—Site Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
2004: Robert Archambeau: Artist, Teacher, Collector, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba—invited to participate as one of eleven former students Archambeau selected to show along with him
2003: In Site, Recent Work By New Faculty At The University of Manitoba School of Art, Site Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Ceramics Faculty Exhibition, Adelaide/McDermot Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba—part of the University of Manitoba’s Ceramics Area 1000 Miles Apart Conference
2000: Clay at the Crossroads, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba—selections from the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s permanent contemporary ceramics collection
1999: Winnipeg House Exhibition of Manitoba Art, held in City Hall, Winnipeg, Manitoba—an invitational exhibition held in conjunction with the Pan Am Games, July to August 1999
1995: Ground/Connection, traveling exhibition facilitated by Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art—3 host artists invite 3 mentors to show with them—St. Norbert Arts and Cultural Centre, St. Norbert, Manitoba
1993: The First Decade Show, Ace Art, Winnipeg, Manitoba—invitational group exhibition
1992: Rooms To Let: Decorated/Undecorated, St. Norbert Arts and Cultural Centre, St. Norbert, Manitoba—exhibition of six installation works within the Guest House of the former Trappist Monastery; Contemporary Focus: Studio Ceramics, Silver and Glass, Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
1989: Manitoba Artists Honored in Japan, Manitoba Crafts Council, Winnipeg, Manitoba—three-person exhibition

Awards & Honours

2007: China Residency – one of ten artists invited to represent Canada in the FLICAM (Fule International Ceramic Art Museums) project at the Fuping Pottery Art Village near X’ian, China – Canadian contingent created the charter collection and attended the inaugural opening of the new Canadian Ceramic Museum in Fuping – works remain on view as part of the permanent collection of the Museum
2007: Canada Council Travel Grant
2007: MFA Scholarship, NSCAD University, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Manitoba Arts Council Bursary for MFA studies at NSCAD University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
2006: MFA Scholarship, NSCAD University, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Manitoba Arts Council Bursary for MFA studies at NSCAD University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
2005: Major Arts Award, Manitoba Arts Council
2003: International Residency, Taiwan—one of ten artists selected to participate in the International Large Outdoor Ceramic Lantern Workshop at Tainan National University of the Arts, a program organized and sponsored by the Yingge Ceramics Museum, Yingge, Taiwan—the lanterns are now in the Yingge Ceramic Museum’s permanent collection
2002: Nominated for Saidye Bronfman Award—nominated by the Winnipeg Art Gallery
2001: Canada Council Craft Grant (mid-career)
2000: Judge’s Special Award: The Sixth Taiwan Golden Ceramics Awards, international juried competition—the Yingge Ceramics Museum, Yingge, Taiwan—award-winning piece purchased for the museum’s permanenf collection
1999: Invited Adjunct Research Fellow, Curtin University of Technology, Ceramics and Glass Department, School of Art, Perth, Western Australia
1996: Banff Centre Scholarship – The Banff Centre For The Arts, Banff, Alberta: New Works Residency, Media & Visual Arts
1993: Purchase for National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan, 1993—piece purchased out of The International Invitational Exhibition of Ceramic Art, National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
1991: Banff Centre Scholarship – The Banff Centre For The Arts, Banff, Alberta: Ceramic Residency Program
1989: Bronze Award: The 2nd International Ceramics Competition ’89, Mino, Japan, international juried competition, exhibition held in the Special Exhibition Hall of Tajimi City, Japan

Collections

Canadian Ceramic Museum, Fuping, China – FLICAM (Fule International Ceramic Art Museums) project
Yingge Ceramics Museum, Yingge, Taiwan, 2003 and 2000
Tainan National University of the Arts, Tainan County, Taiwan, 2003
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba: 2002 and 1992
Cambrian Credit Union, corporate headquarters, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 2002
Manitoba Blue Cross, corporate headquarters, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 2002
Government of Manitoba, 1998 and 1993
National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan, 1993
Manitoba Arts Council Visual Art Bank, 1991
Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, Tajimi-shi, Japan, 1989
Claridge Collection, Montréal, Québec (Collection of Charles Bronfman), 1989
Numerous private collections in Canada, the United States, Australia, Europe and Taiwan

Exhibition Catalogues

2008: Subconscious City, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
2005: In the Margins – Canadian Women Working In Clay, Canadian Women Working in Clay, Mary E. Black Gallery, Nova Scotia Centre for Craft and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia (poster with curatorial essay)
2004: Robert Archambeau: Artist, Teacher, Collector, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, MB; The First Taiwan Ceramic Biennale 2004, Yingge Ceramics Museum, Yingge, Taiwan
2002: Grace Nickel: A Quiet Passage, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba
2000: The Sixth Taiwan Golden Ceramics Awards, Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taipei County, Taiwan
1999: Diverse: 9th National Ceramics Conference Delegates’ Exhibition, The Western Australian School of Art, Design & Media Gallery, Perth, Australia
1997: Focus One: Contemporary Studio Ceramics, Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery
1995: Ground/Connection, exhibition catalogue by Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art, Winnipeg, Manitoba
1995: Clay in Canada: North by Northwest, Manitoba Crafts Council, Winnipeg, Manitoba—for NCECA conference
1993: Selected Treasures, Taipei Fine Arts Museum; Taipei International Exhibition of Traditional Arts and Crafts 1993, Taipei Fine Arts Museum
1992: St. Norbert Arts and Cultural Centre Fall Festival, 1992 (includes Rooms To Let exhibition); A Treasury Of Canadian Craft, Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, BC
1991: Claridge Collection catalogue (Gift for Charles Bronfman), compiled by Franklin Silverstone, Curator, Claridge, Montréal
1990: 4th National Biennial of Ceramics, National Biennial of Ceramics Headquarters, Trois-Rivières,Québec; Mennonite Artist: Insider As Outsider, Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society
1989: The 2nd International Ceramics Competition ’89 Mino, Japan, International Ceramics Festival ’89 Mino, Japan Organizing Committee

Books

2005: Ceramics in the Environment: An International Review, by Janet Mansfield, published by A&C Black, London and the American Ceramic Society, Ohio, pp 58–60
2005: Studio Ceramics in Canada, 1920–2005, by Gail Crawford, published by Goose Lane Editions in association with The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, pp 161, 170
2004: Making Marks: Discovering the Ceramic Surface, by Robin Hopper, published by kp books, p 123
2001: The Ceramic Spectrum, by Robin Hopper, Second Edition
1999: Paper Clay, by Rosette Gault, published by Craftsman House, 1998 (pp 44, 66)—illustrations and quotes

Magazine Articles

2007: Cover of Ceramics Monthly, January 2007—with article “Fire and Light: Grace Nickel’s Metaphorical Lamps”, by Glen R. Brown, professor of art history at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, pp 40–43
2005: ArTop, No. 25, publication of the The Tainan University of the Arts, Taiwan, article “Grace Nickel” written by Mei-Yueh Hsu, pp 85–88
2004: Ceramics Technical (Australia) Issue 19: “A Ceramic Festival in Taiwan” by Anne Coroneos, pp 65–70
2003: Ceramics: Art and Perception (Australia) Issue 52: “A Quiet Passage” by Helen Delacretaz, pp 87–90
2002: Ceramics Monthly, October 2002—Upfront: “Grace Nickel”, p 16; Canadian Architect, May 2002—the back page: “Forms of Growth” by Gordon Filewych, p 62
2002: Rhubarb A Magazine of New Mennonite Art and Writing, Silence Issue, Winter 2002, Number 8—“Grace Nickel: Sanctuary”, pp 22–27; Tableau: A Publication of the Winnipeg Art Gallery—March/April 2002, Vol 2002-2, Cover: “Grace Nickel Explores Spiritual, Physical Realms” with Cover Story on p 6—“Grace Nickel: A Quiet Passage” written by Marnie Butvin, Project Manager and “Nickel Strive(s) To Create Beautiful Things” written by Heather Mousseau, Editor of Tableau; Border Crossings, May 2002, Vol 21 No 2 Issue No 82—back cover ad for A Quiet Passage
1999: Pottery in Australia—Vol 38 No 1, March 1999: “Demonstrators at the 1999 National Ceramic Conference” by Murray Gibbs, pp 40–42
1998: Contact Magazine: Ceramics From a Canadian Perspective—Winter 1997/98, No 111: “Full Circle: The Story of a Commission” by Trudy Ellen Golley, pp 32–35
1997: Ceramics: Art and Perception (Australia) Issue 26: “ Ground/Connection” by Amy Gogarty, pp 46–52
1996: Contact Magazine: Ceramics From A Canadian Perspective—Summer 1996, No. 105: “Ground/Connection,” pp 12–15
1995: NCECA 1995 Journal—Borderline Clay: “Ground/Connection,” review by Amy Gogarty, Volume 16, pp 103–105
1993: Ceramics Monthly—May Issue: “Fletcher Challenge: Takomori’s Choice,” p 45
1990: Ceramics: Art and Perception—Australian Magazine—Issue 2: “National Biennial of Ceramics, Québec,” p 83; Contact Magazine: A Publication of the Alberta Potters’ Association—Winter Issue, Number 83: Front Cover and “Profile—Grace Nickel,” pp 4–6; Fusion Magazine: A Publication of Fusion: The Ontario Clay and Glass Association—Autumn 1990, Vol 14/No 4—Front Cover and “Grace Nickel: Award At Mino,” p 13; Tableau: A Publication of the Winnipeg Art Gallery—January/February 1990, Vol. 3-1: “Nickel Wins Award In Ceramic Olympics,” p 7
1989: Contact Magazine: A Publication of the Alberta Potters’ Association—Winter Issue, Number 79: “Canadians Receive Honors—2nd International Ceramics Competition ’89 Mino, Japan,” pp 9–11

Invited to Be Artist-In-Residence at

2003: Tainan National University of the Arts, Tainan County, Taiwan—The International Large Outdoor Ceramic Lantern Workshop, an international residency sponsored by the Yingge Ceramics Museum, Yingge, Taiwan (10 artists selected); Yingge Ceramics Museum, Yingge, Taiwan—Annual Ceramics Festival (conducted demonstrations and completed the lanterns created in the International Large Outdoor Ceramic Lantern Workshop held at Tainan National University of the Arts)
2002: Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba—Artist in Residence in conjunction with A Quiet Passage, Grace Nickel solo exhibition
2001: University of Manitoba, Ceramics Department, Winnipeg, Manitoba—Artist In Residence in conjunction with the Summer Ceramic Residency Program
1999: Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia: Invited Adjunct Research Fellow in the Ceramics and Glass Department, School of Art

Teaching Experience

NSCAD University

2008: Teaching Assistantship: “Introduction to Throwing I” — instructor Joan Bruneau
2006: Teaching Assistantship: “Ceramics Process and Design”—instructor Professor Neil Forrest

The University of Manitoba

2002–2006: Sessional Instructor: Ceramics I, Advanced Ceramics I and II, and Ceramics Major, School of Art, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba
2002–2006: Thesis Advisor in BFA Honour’s Program in Ceramics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba
2004–2005: Co-Chair, Ceramics Area, School of Art, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba

MAWA (Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art)

2004–2005: Mentor: Foundation Advisory Program, a project of Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art (MAWA)—working with two emerging women artists for a one-year period
1999–2000: Mentor: Foundation Advisory Program, a project of Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art (MAWA)—working with two emerging women artists for a one-year period
1991–1992: Mentor: Foundation Advisory Program, a project of Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art (MAWA)—working with two emerging women artists for a one-year period

The Winnipeg Art Gallery

1997–1999: Instructor: Paper Clay and Handmade Tile Courses for adults, Studio Programs fall, winter and spring sessions, Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Visiting Artist Workshops Presented

International

2003: Tainan National University of the Arts: 3-day workshop in conjunction with the 7th Anniversary celebrations of the TNUA
1999: Edge: 9th National Ceramic Conference, Perth, Western Australia: presented hands-on demonstrations and slide talk called Manitoba Ceramics—From the Centre of the Continent
1995: NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) ’95, Minneapolis, Minnesota: Presentation on Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art—Topical Discussions (with co-presenters: Trudy Golley and Katrina Rozman)

National

2002: Saskatoon Potters’ Guild: Paper Clay Workshop in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.; The Ontario Clay And Glass Association’s Fusion Conference: Paper Clay and Light Sconce Workshop at Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario
2001: Red Deer College: Sculptural Light Sconce Workshop as part of the Series program of summer workshops in Red Deer, Alberta
1998: Haliburton School of Fine Arts: Paper Clay Workshop in Haliburton, Ontario
1997: Kingston Potters’ Guild: Paper Clay Workshop, Kingston, Ontario
Upcoming: MISSA (Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts) – Architectural Ceramic Workshop

Local

Numerous local workshops presented on various topics, including paper clay and architectural ceramics

Journal

Michael Zajac — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 05:13:15 +0000

Contact

Michael Zajac — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 04:16:48 +0000

Grace Nickel

[Winnipeg studio]
204 – 318 McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3A 0A2
Canada

tel: (204) 943-6596
email: grace@gracenickel.ca

Light Sconce, 1998
Earthenware paper clay, glass, incandescent light, finished with slips, glazes and lustre, multifired

Biography

Michael Zajac — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 04:16:43 +0000

Also see Grace Nickel’s Résumé

Grace Nickel has a BFA in Ceramics from the University of Manitoba in Canada and received her MFA from NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in April 2008. Her work is internationally recognized and she has received numerous awards in overseas competitions, as well as Manitoba Arts Council and Canada Council arts awards.

In 1989, Nickel won the Bronze Award at the 2nd International Ceramics Competition in Mino, Japan. She has also had works accepted into The Fletcher Challenge Ceramics Award in Auckland, New Zealand and was shown in the 1992 International Invitational Exhibition of Ceramic Art in Taipei, Taiwan where her work was purchased for the National Museum of History. In 1993 she participated in Selected Treasures, an exhibition organized by the Canadian Craft Museum in Vancouver, which traveled to Taipei, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Chicago and Toronto. In the summer of 1999, Grace traveled to Australia where she was invited to demonstrate her work in paper clay and to present a lecture at Edge, the 9th National Ceramic Conference in Perth. While there, she participated in several exhibitions that took place in conjunction with the conference. In 2000 Nickel won a Judge’s Special Award in the prestigious Sixth Taiwan Golden Ceramics Awards competition. The Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum subsequently purchased Nickel’s award-winning piece for its permanent collection. In 2002 the Winnipeg Art Gallery nominated Nickel for the Saidye Bronfman Award, the most prestigious award for fine craft in Canada.

Nickel’s work appears in many public and private collections around the world. In Canada her work is included in the Claridge Collection in Montreal, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Manitoba Arts Council and the Government of Manitoba collection. Her work also appears in a number of corporate collections including the Blue Cross, Cambrian Credit Union, and the new Manitoba Hydro headquarters in downtown Winnipeg.

Grace has completed a number of architectural installations, including Meditation Window at the St. Norbert Arts Centre in Manitoba in 1992, Sanctuary, a piece created for NCECA in Minneapolis, USA in 1995 and A Quiet Passage, a solo exhibition held at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2002. Nickel also works on site-specific commissions for public and private architectural spaces. In 1996 she completed a commission of 16 light sconces for a private cabin in the Lake of the Woods, Ontario and in 1999 she created a site-specific tile triptych in honour of the Pan Am Games, which were held in Winnipeg that year. She is currently creating a grouping of commemorative porcelain trees for the new Beechwood National Memorial Centre in Ottawa.

She has participated in three Ceramic Residencies at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Banff, Alberta. She has been an Artist In Residence on a number of occasions, including at Curtin University in Perth, Australia as a Visiting Research Fellow in 1999, at the University of Manitoba in 2001 and at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2002, in conjunction with her solo exhibition A Quiet Passage. In 2003 she was invited to participate in the International Large Outdoor Ceramic Lantern Residency in Taiwan, that culminated in the Taipei County Yingge Ceramic Festival and an exhibition of the work created in the residency. In 2007, Nickel was one of ten Canadian ceramic artists invited to participate in a residency in Fuping, China. The Canadian contingent of artists spent the month of October creating work for the new Canadian Ceramic Museum in Fuping, one of numerous museums being built under the auspices of the FLICAM (Fule International Ceramic Art Museums) project on the site of the Fuping Pottery Art Village. The works completed by this charter group of Canadian artists for the inaugural exhibition will remain permanently on view in the Canadian Ceramic Museum.

In addition to her studio practice in Winnipeg, Nickel has taught ceramics for many years. While at NSCAD University from 2006 to 2008, she engaged in various teaching assistantships as a graduate student. Nickel has also taught specialized workshops across Canada and abroad. In January 2009, she was appointed a full-time position in Ceramics at the University of Manitoba.

Nickel has also worked as an arts administrator throughout her career. For eight years she assisted with fundraising for Art City, an innovative community studio located in Winnipeg’s inner-city. Nickel is a past director of MAWA, Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art, and has worked as a mentor for its Foundation Advisory Program several times. She sat on the Programming Committee of the Manitoba Crafts Council for several years, and has been asked to be an advisor and a juror for the Manitoba Arts Council on numerous occasions.

Summary: 2008/2009

From February until May 2008 Nickel participated in a group exhibition called “Subconscious City” at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Her solo exhibition called “Devastatus Rememorari” at the Mary E. Black Gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia ran from April 11 to May 25, 2008. In June, she taught an Architectural Ceramics Workshop at MISSA, Robin Hopper’s summer school in Metchosin on Vancouver Island. Work for a public commission at the Beechwood National Memorial Centre began in July 2008. This installation is scheduled to be unveiled in June 2009. In January 2009, Nickel began a full-time teaching appointment in Ceramics at the University of Manitoba. She will be having a solo exhibition opening on May 1, 2009 at the new Art Gallery in the Park in Altona, Manitoba, where “Devastatus Rememorari” and some of her architectural works with clay and glass will be shown. In November 2009, she will be showing with fellow ceramic artists Sandra Black from Australia and Trudy Golley from Red Deer, Alberta in an exhibition called “Northern Lights, Southern Exposure” at Perth Galleries in Western Australia.

Home

Michael Zajac — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 05:22:21 +0000

Donors’ Forest Unveiled at Beechwood National Cemetery of Canada

Grace Nickel, Assistant Professor in Ceramics at the University of Manitoba’s School of Art, attended the unveiling of her commissioned piece at the Beechwood National Cemetery of Canada in Ottawa on September 16, 2010. She was awarded the commission for her submission titled, Donors’ Forest, after winning a national competition. She created the commemorative piece for the entranceway to the new Beechwood National Memorial Centre. The 14,000-square foot Memorial Centre was designed by Ottawa’s Robertson Martin Architects and was opened at the Beechwood Cemetery by former General Governor Michaëlle Jean with great fanfare in 2008. Beechwood Cemetery is home to the National Military Cemetery, the RCMP National Memorial Cemetery, the Canadian Veterans and War Dead, and has sections devoted to a great diversity of cultural communities.

Devastatus Rememorari

Devastatus Rememorari, Grace Nickel’s ceramic memorial to Point Pleasant Park. At the Mary E. Black Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia until May 25, 2008.

Subconscious City

Grace Nickel is one of 27 artists invited to participate in Subconscious City, a group exhibition that opened at the Winnipeg Art Gallery on February 14, 2008. The curators, Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan state, “Subconscious City examines the often hidden underpinnings of Winnipeg – its myths, its vacant lots, its forgotten communities, its hidden gems – and reveals a complicated picture of where we live and work. More than a tourist snapshot or glossy one-great-city image, this contemporary exhibition delves deeply into the nature of our urban social and physical landscape and its power to shape identity. An outstanding roster of 27 local artists, reflecting different media, different stages in their careers, and different points of view, will be featured in this artful expression of civic pride.”

Nickel is showing a piece called Uprooted – Winnipeg 2007, which was created in response to her investigations of the perennial flooding that occurs along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers in Winnipeg. Every year, the water creeps up the river bank to alarming levels, leaving a scene of devastation and chaos behind once the waters recede. Trees are uprooted and a clear record of the water’s height is indelibly left on the trunks of the trees. Inspired by these markings of memory, Nickel created a ceramic piece called Waterline, shown recently at the Anna Leonowens Gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Subconscious City will remain on view at the Winnipeg Art Gallery until May 11, 2008.

China Residency

Recently I was one of ten Canadian ceramic artists selected to travel to Xi’an, China, to participate in the Sino-Canada Ceramic Art Exchange Program, a one-month artist’s residency at the Fuping Pottery Village. For the month of October we were creating work for the new Canadian Ceramic Museum which is being built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, along with nine other international ceramic museums. We were all working together in the studio attached to the Futo Tile Factory on the site of the Fuping Pottery Art Village.

The participants were asked to stay to attend the inauguration of the Canadian Ceramic Museum on November 6, 2007, where our work is permanently displayed as the charter collection, created by the first contingent of Canadian artists selected for the FLICAM project. We were encouraged to respond to the physical and cultural environment of China, allowing this encounter in surroundings rich with the history of ceramics to inspire our work. We also toured major ceramic sites in the area, such as the Terracotta Army of the Qin Dynasty, which consists of over 8,000 life-size clay soldiers and horses in Xi’an, and a traditional pottery village called Chenlu, situated in the spectacular mountainous area of Shaan’xi Province.

I kept an online journal during the residency and will continue to post entries on the weblog from time to time. For those of you who left comments, thank you. I invite all who read it to give me their feedback. I would like to thank the Canada Council for the Arts for supporting my participation in this important cultural and artistic exchange. An article titled, “Canadians In China” written by Kristen den Hartog appeared in the Australian magazine Ceramics Technical, No. 27, November 2008 – April 2009, pp 83 to 88.

Grace Nickel RCA

Grace Nickel was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts on June 22, 2007. This honour is bestowed on artists who have made a sustained contribution to the field of the visual arts in Canada, including professional activity on a national and international scale. The work of the twenty new RCA inductees for 2007 is exhibited at the Mayberry Fine Art Gallery in Winnipeg’s Exchange District until July 7, 2007.

Ceramics Monthly

Grace Nickel is featured in Ceramics Monthly, January 2007:

“Fire and Light: Grace Nickel’s Metaphorical Lamps,” by Glen R. Brown

In addition to the pairing of matter and energy,… a vaguer duality has often infiltrated her sculptures. Describing this as an ironic interdependence of the attractive and the repulsive, she attributes to it a curious influence over the creative process….

Monthly Methods: “Letting in the Light: Slumped Glass for Sconces”

Nickel crash-cooled the kiln to about 1292°F (700°C), then allowed it to continue cooling naturally, fixing the glass elements with the desired curvature….

Read the article: cm-article-fire-and-light-jan2007.pdf (272 kB PDF file)

Branching Out

A three-person exhibition called Branching Out took place at the Manitoba Craft Council Gallery in Winnipeg, Manitoba from August 18, 2005 to September 17, 2005. For more information on this exhibition please see Grace Nickel’s Artist Statement.

Large Outdoor Ceramic Lantern Workshop

Grace Nickel’s report on her residency in Taiwan: September 27 to November 14, 2003.

Nickel’s work, Intermediate Terminus #2, selected for 1st Taiwan Ceramic Biennale.

Robert Archambeau: Artist, Teacher, Collector

Grace Nickel was included in the Winnipeg Art Gallery exhibition Robert Archambeau: Artist, Teacher, Collector February to May, 2004.

Sconces in Robert Archambeau: Artist, Teacher, Collector

A Quiet Passage

Installation view of A Quiet Passage, an exhibition of light sconces and columns in clay and glass, which took place at the Winnipeg Art Gallery from April 18 to July 22, 2002.

The curatorial essay, written by Helen Delacretaz, appeared in Ceramics Art and Perception. An exhibition catalogue is available from the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

Taiwan Golden Ceramics Award

Grace Nickel won a Judges Special Award in the prestigious Sixth Taiwan Golden Ceramics Awards competition. The piece Column with Bowl #2, was exhibited at the Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum, and subsequently purchased for the museum’s permanent collection.