Meet Nikki Renee Anderson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Anderson.

Nikki, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always been connected to making art. In grade school, I won first place for a picture of a horse I created for the American Royal in Kansas City. My parents were always very supportive and I remember taking art classes and going to art camp with 4-H and at the Kansas City Art Institute as a child. Later, we moved to the suburbs of Chicago when I was in high school. My high school art teacher encouraged me to participate in the Early College Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

I went Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa for college. That was when I discovered that I had an affinity for sculpture and I also loved printmaking. I began to find my voice as an artist during this period. Drake had a small art program with wonderful faculty and I had a lot of support for growing both technically and conceptually as an artist. I started my MFA at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York in 1999. The program was interdisciplinary and they gave me a tuition scholarship and the opportunity to teach. I went to school with an artist, Michael Kozien, who is now my husband. We have always been a support system for each other and that period was very transformative for us creatively. It was exciting to be near New York City and the faculty had prolific careers as artists and scholars.

Since graduate school, I have been living in Chicago with my husband, Michael Kozien. We have a five-year-old daughter. I have been teaching and exhibiting as an artist during all of that time.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
When Michael and I first moved to Chicago after graduate school, we didn’t know anyone in the art community here. It took a number of years to get my footing and feel like I was connected to the art scene. That being said, I love being here now. I have had a lot of wonderful opportunities and exhibitions. I have a lot of great friends and colleagues in the art world here.

Becoming a mother has given me the opportunity to work on balance in my life. Before my daughter was born, I worked on my art all of the time. Now my husband and I have a lot more time that is devoted to her and to the family. This change has been amazing and fulfilling. Also, being a mother has influenced my work. I find that I have to work on time management and prioritize the work I need to get done. More and more women artists are choosing to have children and so I feel like there is acceptance in the art world.

Nikki Renee Anderson – what should we know about your artwork? What do you do best?
I specialize in ceramic sculpture and installation. I create forms, which are abstract, and represent desserts, flowers, and the body. They often have bulging shapes with dripping surfaces. They are meant to draw a viewer in and evoke ideas about beauty, desire, and femininity. Ultimately, with my work, my goal is to open up the definitions and terms by which we define ourselves and create a fantasy about what is possible.

I recently completed a large private commission for a collector, which was on view at The Glass Curtain Gallery at Columbia College Chicago last fall. The piece is called Sugar Dreams and it incorporates sculptures that reference dessert forms, the body, and cellular growth. The work evolved through correspondence with the collector. I developed drawings and sent them for approval. It was a commission process that felt very true to my vision and artistic voice.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I am always working to have a sustainable art career and I support that through sales of artwork, grants, and teaching. I periodically have the opportunity to give visiting artist lectures. I also view on-going exhibitions and reviews to be important to success. I have had a number of opportunities to travel and exhibit internationally through residency programs in France, Italy, Iceland, and Germany. The professional relationships and friendships that have come from all of these experiences have been very important.

Ultimately, all of these things lead back to the work that I am able to do in the studio. Making the work is something that I really enjoy and I feel lucky to have a career in the arts. I view my career like a marathon and I am in it for the long haul. I am always trying to keep pace but see it as a steady growth and hope to gradually increase sales, exhibitions and other opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nikkireneeanderson.com
• Phone: 773-343-2981
• Email: nanderson100@hotmail.com
• Instagram: @nikkireneeanderson
• Facebook: @nikkireneeanderson
• Twitter: @nanderson100

Image Credit:
Jade Hull, Shelley Anderson, Michael Kozien, Nikki Renee Anderson

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