Nicole Donnelly
"That the sun might rise...", 2020

Media: High shrinkage abaca paper, pigment, bittersweet vines
Size: 45"h x 44"w x 36"d

Artist Statement:
While my paper artworks more generally address issues around the environment and climate change, and often employ invasive plants - either their bast fiber or their wood -, "That the sun might rise..." comes from the overlapping responses I have had in considering the death of my father, the words (and death) of John Lewis, and the racial protests that have erupted amidst the lock-down of the pandemic. These events are interwoven, intense, overwhelming, and not without their own beauty. It is an oculus of reflection, waiting for the sun to bring its brightness and warmth again.

Biography

Nicole Donnelly is a Philadelphia-based painter, hand papermaker, and installation artist, having received her MFA from the University of Iowa (2009) and BA from Bennington College. She has received grants and fellowships to complete residencies at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Morgan Conservatory of Paper, Goldwell Open Air Museum, Vermont Studio Center, and the Women’s Studio Workshop. Temporary outdoor installations have been commissioned by the Fairmount Park Conservancy and The Schuylkill Center. Her artworks are in the collection of the Pennsylvania Convention Center and Free Library of Philadelphia among others, and she has exhibited throughout the United States and internationally.