Grace Nickel facts for kids

Grace Nickel, born in 1956, is a talented Canadian artist. She is known for her amazing ceramic art and also teaches art at a university. She is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

Grace Nickel's Early Life and Education

Grace Nickel was born in 1956 in Altona, Manitoba, Canada. She loved art and studied ceramics at the University of Manitoba, earning her first degree in 1980. She continued her studies, getting a certificate from the University of Winnipeg in 1981. Later, in 2008, she earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

In 1999, Grace was invited to a big ceramic conference in Australia. There, she showed how she worked with a special material called paper clay. She also shared information about other ceramic artists from Manitoba.

Grace Nickel's Artistic Career

In 1991, Grace Nickel discovered paper clay while at the Banff Centre. This material changed her art. Since then, she has used paper clay to create beautiful sculptures. Her art often includes large pieces that become part of buildings or public spaces.

She has created several important art installations. One example is the Meditation Window at the St. Norbert Arts Centre in Manitoba. Another piece, called Sanctuary, was shown in Minneapolis, USA, in 1995. Grace has also made special art for different places, like tile designs and unique lights for public and private buildings.

In 1999, she made a special tile artwork to celebrate the Pan Am Games being held in Winnipeg. This artwork was later shown at Winnipeg City Hall. She also created a piece for the entrance of the Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa, Ontario.

Today, Grace Nickel teaches ceramics full-time. She works at the School of Art at the University of Manitoba, sharing her knowledge with new artists.

Grace Nickel's Art Exhibitions

Grace Nickel's artwork has been shown in many places around the world. Her art has traveled to the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan. Some of her international exhibitions include:

• Unity and Diversity at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale in Korea.
• Northern Lights/Southern Exposure in Perth, Australia.
• The Inaugural Exhibition at The Canadian Ceramic Museum in Fuping, China, in 2007.
• Earth Matters at the NCECA Invitational Exhibition in Philadelphia in 2010.

She has also had many solo exhibitions in Canada, where her art was the main focus. These include:

• A Quiet Passage at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2002.
• Devastatus Rememorari, shown in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2008, and in Altona, Manitoba, in 2009.
• Arbor Vitae, which traveled to several locations: the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery in Waterloo, ON, in 2015; Actual Contemporary in Winnipeg, MB, in 2016; Disjecta Contemporary Art Centre in Portland, OR, in 2017; and the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery in 2018.
• Eruptions at the Art Gallery of Burlington in 2019 and Gallery 1C03 at the University of Winnipeg in 2022.
• Inter Artes et Naturam (Between Art and Nature) at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in 2023.

Grace Nickel's Art Collections

Grace Nickel's art is part of many important collections. In Canada, her work can be found in:

• The Claridge Collection in Montreal.
• The Winnipeg Art Gallery.
• The Government of Manitoba art collection.
• The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

Her art has also been acquired by international museums, including:

• The National Museum of History in Taipei, Taiwan.
• The Museum of Modern Ceramic Art in Gifu, Japan.
• The New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taiwan.

Awards and Recognition

Grace Nickel has received several awards for her outstanding work:

• She won a Bronze Award at the 2nd International Ceramics Competition in Mino, Japan, in 1989.
• She received the Judge's Special Award at the Sixth Taiwan Golden Ceramics Awards in Taipei, Taiwan.
• In 2007, she was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, which is a great honor for Canadian artists.
• In 2023, she was awarded the Saidye Bronfman Award, one of Canada's most important awards for excellence in fine crafts.

See also

• List of Canadian artists