2019 DUMA Biennial

I’m excited to announce that my sculpture Experientia Nostra Ossiferous has been accepted into the Dubuque Museum of Art’s 2019 Biennial. The exhibition runs from May 18 to September 8, 2019, with the reception and awards ceremony on June 7, 2019, 5-8pm. I’ll be there for the opening and look forward to talking about my work.

Many thanks to juror Sarah Humphreville, senior curatorial assistant at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Stacy Peterson, associate curator at DuMA.

Experientia Nostra Ossiferous

If You Only Knew Exhibition

My sculpture Experientia Nostra Ossiferous will be exhibited for the first time at the Freeport Art Museum in the If You Only Knew show.

From the shows announcement:
Have you ever looked at a piece of art and wished you could talk to the artist to better understand what you were seeing? What stories lie behind art and what exactly does it all mean? If that's the case, If You Only Knew may be the exhibition for you. Beginning on September 8th, viewers have the rare opportunity to discover truths behind one of a kind works of art from the artists themselves. From what originated as a 5 week group exhibition showcased at the Old Court House Arts Center located in Woodstock, IL, FAM is proud to present this intriguing exhibition. If You Only Knew breaks down the barriers between artist and viewer through letters personally written by each artist. Steeped in mystery and surprise, these letters hold the key to unlocking revelations about each artist and the work they have created. Whether funny, heartfelt, shocking, or private, it is up to the visitors to discover what lies behind the art displayed before them. Who knows what mysteries await?

The exhibition opening will be on 5-8 pm September 8, 2018 and the show will run to November 3, 2018. I will be there at the opening and look forward to discussing my sculpture.

Freeport Art Museum
121 N. Harlem Ave.
Freeport, IL
815-235-9755

Special thank you to Joe and Kathleen Isacson for curating the show.

Figure Eighteen.- Experientia Nostra Ossiferous (Our Ossiferous Experience)
2014-2018. 9”h x 16.5”w x 16.5”d.
Human mandible, Bronze, Mahogany, Resin, Blown glass, Gold leaf, Silk, Acrylic, Hardware.

Collaboration Show at Abel Contemporary

A Change of Heart
Painting by Karen Halt, Sculpture by Paul Nitsche
2018. 21" x 13" x 3"
Acrylic, Resin, Gold Leaf, Wood

My piece with Wisconsin painter Karen Halt will be shown as part of the Collaboration show at Abel Contemporary Gallery, July 27th to September 9th, 2018. The opening reception will be July 27th. A catalogue of all the collaborative works, along with commentary from the artist pairs, will be available for purchase.

From the Gallery Website:
"Abel Contemporary Gallery invited artists in our collection to collaborate with one another on an art work that blends their unique styles and themes. Though the process of creating art is often thought of as a solitary process, compelling artists to work together transforms this trope as pairs communicate and cooperate. Encouraged to leave their comfort zone, sometimes working with materials they are unaccustomed with, the artists create work with a new emphasis and unique results."

Detail of sculptural elements by Paul Nitsche.

Painting by Karen Halt.

The cover of the Collaboration show catalogue from Abel Contemporary.

If You Only Knew Exhibition

I will have four sculptures as part of the If You Only Knew group exhibition opening January 20, 2018 at the Old Courthouse Arts Center in Woodstock, IL.

From the gallery's website:
"Each piece in the show will have a letter that tells something surprising or private. Letters will be given out on opening night to visitors, who can share the stories they receive with one another as they look at the exhibition, but can also choose to keep the contents of the letter secret, if they wish. 

For example one artist shares a story of a family machete, family fights and secret night burials, another realized after 20 years that her father wasn't a cowboy after all, despite the evidence on the mantle. One artist believes his drawing to be cursed, while another discovers that her painting was a premonition of impending catastrophe. One artist reveals his painting is about a childhood mystery of a broken Virgin Mary statue that remains unsolved to this day.

Visitors to opening night will receive secrets and stories that reveals more than they could guess about the artwork (& the artist) before them. Whether they share the knowledge rests with them."

I will be attending the opening reception on Saturday, January 20, 2018 from 6-9 pm and will be available to discuss the symbolism, historical and personal, within my sculptures. Thank you to Kathleen Isacson for inviting me to the show.

For more information on the show and to see the artists exhibiting please follow THIS LINK.

The exhibition will be open from January 20-February 24, 2018.
Gallery hours are Thursday-Saturday: 11 am-5 pm, Sunday: 1-5 pm.
The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Old Courthouse Arts Center
101 North Johnson Street
Woodstock, IL  60098
815.338-4525
www.oldcourthouseartscenter.org

POSTSCRIPT: Thank you to Jurors Cathleen and Joe Isacson for awarding me the Best of Show Award for my sculpture The Ephemeral Knot.

Shroud I and the RESPONSE group show in Brooklyn, NY

My stone lithography paper doll, Shroud I, will be exhibited in the Vox Populi Print Collective's inaugural show, RESPONSE, at ArtHelix Gallery in Brooklyn, NY from November 10-26, 2017.

RESPONSE gathers over 60 printmakers and their reaction to the new global political, sociological, and environmental realities of our time. There will be a catalogue of all the works available for purchase at the show.

In beginning this piece, I began referencing current conflict zones and human casualties of war. I was both moved and inspired by the frequent images of children before burial, their bodies wrapped in shrouds of white. The child in my drawing is of my own design, as I didn't want to reference one specific victim.

Drawing on the stone.

Shroud I
Edition of Two. 2017. 15" x 15"
Stone lithography, Acrylic, Bristol paper.

Special thanks to Elizabeth Jean Younce for graining the litho stone for me, and Barry Roal Carlsen for doing the printing.

Exquisite group show at Abel Contemporary Gallery

I will be exhibiting five sculptures at Abel Contemporary Gallery, in Belleville, WI, as part of their Exquisite show, running from July 28-September 10, 2017. The sculptures are all pieces I have not exhibited at the gallery before. The show will also be the debut of my paper doll piece, The Anatomy Lesson.

The works I will be exhibiting are: The Anatomy Lesson, Ossis Fateor Memoria, Beneath the Remnant Veil, The Ephemeral Knot, and To Stand Against in Witness.

From the Abel Contemporary Gallery announcement:
"Unabashedly beautiful, the objects in this exhibit showcase the work of artists who have refined their craft to a degree that can only be described as exquisite."
Other participating artists : Wilde, Schulte, Schoonover, Czechowski, Calderwood, S. Byers, Apgar, Abel.

I will be attending the opening reception on Friday, July 28th, 5-9 pm, and hope to see you there.

Exhibiting Nineteen Sculptures at the Freeport Art Museum

I am excited to announce that I will be exhibiting nineteen sculptures at the Freeport Art Museum as part of a large three person show.  Entitled Fabrication, it will also feature photographer Les Allen and assemblagist Rosalie Koldan. The show will run from May 12 to July, 2017, with an opening reception May, 12th from 5-7pm.

This will be the largest exhibition of my sculptural work to date, ranging from the early paper doll shadowbox pieces of the late 1990's to my most recent bronze, Beneath the Remnant Veil. I am truly grateful to the Freeport Art Museum for this opportunity and all the support they have given me.

From FAM's website: "The artists in Fabrication assemble an array of objects fabricating imagined and unexpected scenes. Initially, the works’ combination of elements might appear contradictory or even illogical which challenges the viewer to make sense of the unfamiliar by placing themselves within the scenes. The results are surreal-like compositions that pull at the viewers unconscious."

Very special thanks to Collections and Exhibitions Manager Carrie Baxter, Executive Director Jessica Modica, and Director of Education Barry Treu.

Hi-Fructose Emerging Artists and Art Grant

I am excited to announce that I will be featured with 15 other artists in a special insert section in the January 2017 print issue Hi-Fructose, a contemporary art magazine with international distribution. Along with being published, they were also kind enough to give me a $1000 artist grant.

The artists were selected from submissions through Ello, the Creators Network, and were curated by Hi-Fructose Founders & Editors in Chief Daniel “Attaboy” Seifert & Annie Owens-Seifert.

Please view all of the selected artists HERE.

Thank you so much to Hi-Fructose, Ello, Attaboy and Annie, and all the artists who reached out to me during the selection process.

The 13th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition at the Freeport Art Museum

My latest sculpture, "The Ephemeral Knot", will be showing at the 13th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition at the Freeport Art Museum from November 11, 2016 to February 18, 2017. Thank you to Chicago's Sergio Gomez for accepting my work. Opening reception is Friday, November 11th, 5-8 PM.

The 13th annual Regional Juried Exhibition at the Freeport Art Museum features work by artists living in the tri-state region of Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. Created to encourage contemporary art, this show provides an opportunity for established and emerging artists to debut their latest work. The Regional Juried Exhibition continues to build momentum each year and now attracts over 200 submissions. A wide variety of media is accepted from traditional materials such as painting and sculpture to conceptual and new techniques including video, interactive media, performance and installation art. FAM has gained the distinguished reputation of displaying a wide range of contemporary art, allowing this exhibition to become a favorite amongst visitors. The invited juror selects works for inclusion and chooses recipients for cash awards for first, second and third place. Winners will be announced at the opening reception.

Exhibiting Artists:  Pamela Andros, Jean Apgar, Nick Baxter, Sara Slee Brown, Jim Davis, Doug DeWitt, Mark Dierker, Simone Doing and Max Puchalsky, Joan Geary, Sarvin Haghighi, Carol Hamilton, David Hauptschein, Eric Hazeltine, Eric Hazeltine, Kathleen Isacson, Stephen Jensen, Katsy Johnson, Yvette Kaiser Smith, Deanna Krueger, Cindy Lesperance, Bert Leveille, Judy Lipman Shechter, Bob Logsdon, Jeanne Ludeke, Benjamin Madeska, Carol Mantey, Janice Meister, Taylor Mezo, Leah Mitchell, Paul Nitsche, Paul Pinzarrone, Gina Robbins, Kathleen Roman, Kathryn Scott, Elizabeth Shriver, Dan Spahn, Frank Spidale, Rebecca Stahr, Randal Stringer, Daniel Tajlili, Linda Vietmeyer, Candace Wark and Shirley Nannini, Zachary Williams, Sandra Wilson

Juror: Sergio Gomez

Sergio Gomez is a Chicago based visual artist and creative entrepreneur. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Northern Illinois University. Sergio’s work has been subject of solo exhibitions in the United States, Italy and Vienna. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Spain, Sweden, London, Mexico and the US. His work can be found in private and public collections of the National Museum of Mexican Art, Brauer Art Museum, and the MIIT Museo Internazionale Italia Arte among other public and private collections. Currently, Sergio Gomez is the owner & director of 33 Contemporary Gallery, Curator/Director of Exhibitions at the Zhou B. Art Center, contributor for Italia Arte Magazine, Art/Design faculty at South Suburban College, Creative Consultant for Idea Seat Marketing and Advertising, co-founder of 3c Wear and co-funder of the Art NXT Level Program. His weekly Artist Next Level podcast inspires and educates contemporary artists. Sergio has curated special projects for the Chicago Park District, ArtSpot Miami International Art Fair during Art Basel Week (2013, 2014), National Museum of Mexican Art, and ExpoChicago (2014) among others.

www.sergiogomezonline.com

Figure Seventeen.- The Ephemeral Knot
2015-2016. 7”h x 19.5”w x 10.5”d.
Bronze, Wood, Resin, Acrylic, Gold leaf, Silk, Hardware.

"Humankind" Exhibition at Foundry Art Centre

I will have two sculptural works in the upcoming Humankind juried exhibition at the Foundry Art Centre, in St. Charles, Missouri. The show will run from June 24 to August 5, 2016 with an opening on June 24, 2016 from 5:30 t 8:00. Having shown at the Centre before, I can say it is a great space with a very supportive staff. Special thanks to juror Eric Wieringa for selecting my submissions.

From the Foundry Website:
From the grace and beauty of the human figure to the personal detail of a portrait, Humankind aims to capture the human experience through the physical form. Humankind will explore not only depictions of the human body through traditional portrayals but also art that represents the human condition and the essentials of existence: emotions, mortality, struggles and triumphs among the myriad of experiences all of humankind encounters.

The sculptures I will have on display:

Figure Sixteen.- To Stand Against in Witness.
2007-2014. 16”h x 11”w x 8.5”d.
Bronze, Minnesota limestone, Wood, Gold leaf, Resin, Hardware.

Effigy Fragment I
2013-2015. 10”w x 14.5”h.
Beeswax, Carnauba wax, Jute, Walnut, Resin, Silver Leaf, Oil, Silk.

Paul Nitsche Now On PortalWisconsin.org

 PortalWisconsin.org is a nonprofit website created by Wisconsin's Cultural Coalition to support the state's culture, arts, humanities, and history. I'm pleased to announce that my work has been accepted into their juried, online gallery. Thank you to Wisconsin's Arts Board for including me. The gallery is enlightening to the exceptional artists of the state working in all media. For now, my page displays newer sculptural works. It may be viewed HERE.