About
ABOUT
Nicole Markoff’s art and design practices cultivate works that navigate the analogous links between landscape and thought production, from a tantric/nondual perspective. Working with textiles as medium and subject, and photography, projection, and video as process, she has built a compendium of work that includes drawings, studies, writings, photography, videos, and daily practices. She works with the earth as the most reliable form of reality and is currently captivated by regenerative agriculture principles.
In 2015, she moved to West County Sonoma, California, where fires and floods have challenged the land and people these last few years. This has directly influenced her artwork and collaborative endeavors. Her newer works seek to recover a regenerative narrative that uncovers our potential to understand and work with the landscape, as it is now, and to turn the mothership around. She invites you to join her in that effort at any time.
Nicole holds an MFA in textiles from California College of the Arts, and a BA from NYU’s Gallatin School. She has also received the privilege of being an artist in residence at Jentel Foundation, Brush Creek, UCross, Headlands Center for the Arts, and the Vermont Studio Center. She practices and works from her home in West County.
Contact
CV
SOLO SHOWS
Outside Perspectives Four Seasons Hotel, San Francisco, CA, 2015-16
West of Eden Neon Raspberry, Occidental, CA, July-September 2015
Brush Edo, San Francisco, CA, April 2013
Blind Passenger Neon Raspberry, Occidental, CA, October-December 29 2012
RECENT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Framed: Landscape Photography Cameraworks, Portland, OR, January 2018
Fierce Love in Trying Times Neon Raspberry, Occidental, CA March 2017
What’s Love Got To Do with It Gualala Center for the Arts, Gualala, CA, January 2017 (curator: Leslie M. Cresswell)
Dynamic Landscapes Cameraworks, Portland, OR December 2016
NODAPL Apogee Journal, Online December 2016
Extreme Fibers Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI, August 2015 (curated by Namita Wiggers and Geary Jones)
Velocity of Textiles Georgia State University, Atlanta GA, May 2015
Descience Massachusetts Insititute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, October 2014
This Will Never Work Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA, November 2013
Beauty Salon IcTus Gallery, San Francisco, CA, December 2012 (performance, curated by Cassie Thornton)
CCA MFA show California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA, May 2012
Solo Mujeres Mission Cultural Center, San Francisco, CA March 2012 (curated by iona rozeal brown and Veronica Jackson)
Ecopoesis California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA March 2012
John Baldessari: Class Assignments, (Optional) Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art, San Francisco, CA, January 2012
Is: Reyjkavik and the Icelandic West College Avenue Galleries, Oakland, CA, January 2012
In Motion Guitar Shop Gallery, Oakland, CA, October 2011
HELLO North/South Gallery, Oakland, CA, October 2010
Devotion Secession Art and Design, San Francisco, CA, August & September 2010: 2 artist show
Paper Dolls 5024LA, Los Angeles, CA Jan 2010
CURRENT COLLABORATIONS
The Embodiment Project Oakland CA, 2015-6 (experimental video, costume design) director: Nicole Klaymoon
Bureau of Linguistical Reality San Francisco CA, 2015 (a collaborative led by Heidi Quante and Alicia Escott)
AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES
Vermont Studio Center Johnson, VT, Oct-November 2016
Brush Creek Foundation Saratoga, WY, November 2015
Headlands Center for the Arts Sausalito, CA, affiliate resident, 2015
UCross Fellowship Ucross, WY, October 2014
Jentel Artist Residency Banner, WY, September 2013
Best Independent Designer SF Guardian / 2008
Best of the Bay: Best Independent Designer SF Weekly / 2006
Mastermind Award SF Weekly x Yerba Buena Center for the Arts / 2006
President’s Day Award for Service NYU / 2000
Founder’s Day Award NYU / 2000
FORMAL EDUCATION
California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA MFA in Textiles, 2012
New York University, Gallatin School, New York, NY BA, Cum Laude, 2000 Individualized: Speaking Visually: Public, Craft & Othered Art
Chelsea College of Art and Design, London Public Art – 1998-9
PUBLICATIONS
Surface Design Journal, “Humanity of Fashion: Nicole Markoff and Adele Stafford” by Leora Lutz, summer/fall 2015
Lancet Journal of Oncology Descience Review , January 2015
PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
NICACELLY & NICACELLY PROJECTS, San Francisco, CA
founder and designer, 2003-16
- owner of award-winning independent clothing line comprised of domestically and fairly traded streetwear for women. Has been featured in multiple press outlets both independent (pacifica radio) and mass (mtv & bravo) and distributed nationally and abroad. NICACELLY.COM
- expanded into graphic and clothing design studio in 2014, producing album covers and capsule collections for
- private clients, including Janet Stone Yoga, Nonchalance (jejune institute), and AcroYoga International.
18 Reasons, San Francisco, CA
Gallery Curator (appointed), 2012-14
- exhibition programming, artist development, and program development at nonprofit educational space affiliated with the BiRite family of businesses.
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Sonoma, CA
- instructor: Imagined Spaces: an architectural remix workshop, March 2014; Material Culture: textile art, February 2012; Remix: fabric dj workshop, March 2011
Imagine Bus Project, San Francisco, CA
Teaching Artist, 2013
- designer and instructor “City Biz,” a design and business course for youth exiting the judicial system to create products sourced from their artwork, and bringing these to the marketplace.
- Led to a pilot mentorship curriculum.
California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
- guest instructor for Sasha Duerr/ Intro to Textiles, spring 2012
- teaching assistant for Lynda Grose / Sustainability Seminar (fashion department), spring 2012
- teaching assistant for Lia Cook/ Weaving and Dyeing, spring 2011
Nava Yoga Samgraha, Sausalito, CA / Sayulita MX / Bolinas CA
Facilitator and assistant producer for private yoga philosophy think tank, 2009-11
Hieroglyphics Imperium Records, Oakland, CA 2001-3
merchandise designer, tour product developer for longest-running artist-owned Hip Hop record label.
INVITED TALKS
California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA / guest lecturer for Josh Faught / Intro to Textiles, fall 2012
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, San Francisco, CA / guest lecturer, Independent Design, 2006
Youth Speaks, San Francisco, CA –/ guest lecturer, Independent Design business and Community Benefit, 2005
OTHER ART TRAINING, INTERNSHIPS, STUDIO ASSISTANTSHIPS
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME 2012
- Making Connections/ Lissa Hunter / technical assistant, scholarship
Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC 2009-12
- Coptic Bookbinding/ Laura Wait / scholarship
- Slip Cast Ceramics/ Tom Spleth, 2 month concentration / scholarship
- Weaving/ Edwina Bringle / scholarship
- Sweetgrass Basket Weaving/ Henrietta Snypes
- Surface Design/ Brooks Harris-Stevens
Karen Backstrap Weaving, Pai, Mae Hong Son, THAILAND 2004: Apprentice for Karen backstrap weaver, self directed
Crucible, Oakland CA 2001 / Cold glass casting, pate de verre
Urban Glass, Brooklyn NY 1996-7 & 2000 / Teaching Assistant / pate de verre
Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA 1999 / Coldworking/ Mario Seguso
American Crafts Council, New York NY 1997-8 / Library Intern
Greenwich House Pottery, New York NY 1997 / Intern
Parsons School of Design, New York NY 1995 / Pre-college fashion intensive
Donna Karen New York, New York NY 1995 / Design Intern, DKNY womens wear and accessories