Nicole Bricker (b. Minnesota 1977) is based in Redding, CT. She received her B.A. in Radio TV Film Studies before refining her oil painting skills at the National Academy of Design in New York. Bricker’s work explores nostalgia, memory, and Midwestern kitsch through painting, printmaking, collage, and mixed media sculpture.
Her work has been exhibited at the Lyman Allyn Museum (New London, CT), Rosalux Gallery (Minneapolis, MN), and Dacia Gallery (New York, NY), among others. Bricker participated in the yearlong Canopy Program residency where she received the James Bernard Haggarty Scholarship. She is the founder of Redding based Anonymous Society which is a gallery founded with the intention to nurture experimentation, intellectual exchange, and develop collector’s evolution.
Bricker’s creative process incorporates found objects, cast plaster, and unconventional materials like liquid rubber to examine how memories are framed and influenced by cultural belief systems. By reclaiming the aesthetics of Midwestern suburbia, she invites viewers to reconsider their connections to identity, tradition, and storytelling.
Statement
My mixed media sculptures and collage work explore the nostalgia and whimsy of my childhood. I examine the landscape of suburban Midwestern life through the lens of kitsch. I draw inspiration from keepsakes passed down from my parents to use as a starting point of memories, family stories, and the curiosity of youth.
Each piece begins with brainstorming on post-it notes, listing words and phrases as insight. Referencing color-aid paper, I develop color palettes for acrylic-painted collage papers. By integrating found objects, cast plaster, and unconventional materials like liquid rubber I add tactile dimension to my sculptures.
Beyond aesthetic exploration, my work examines how we frame and interpret our memories, often constrained by limiting belief systems. I reflect on a time and place that viewed art as a luxury. I aim to reclaim and celebrate kitsch which defined the look of Midwestern suburbia. My goal is to invite viewers to reassess connections to the identity and traditions of middle America with the hope of sparking conversations about nostalgia, storytelling, and the potency of visual expression.