Nicole LeGrow

About Nicole LeGrow

As a born and raised Appalachian, I have grown a fondness for the more handmade and folksy spirit of the region. Being Appalachian, at its core, is about having a fighting spirit, making your voice be heard no matter what, learning to be loud and proud of who you are and where you came from. I strive to carry that resistant and defiant attitude though my practice, and my work, using taboo topics and harsh criticisms to shed light on injustice or marginalized communities who are often forgotten about. I do not want my work to just be a pretty picture that means nothing and collects dust on a wall. I want my work to change minds and challenge thoughts and ideas that may have been so engrained in the viewers’ minds, that they hadn’t even thought to question them. But most of all I want to create a dialogue with my viewers about how they chose to interact with the world and other people. My practice is not merely about the creation of objects but rather about fostering a dialogue that incites a deeper understanding of influences that shape our culture. My artistic approach is one of blending the high-art techniques of ceramics with the raw, gritty aesthetic of graffiti, traditional tattoos, and folk art, that continually strives to redefine conventional narratives within the art world. In my work, I wish to create work which challenges my audience to question the boundaries we place between the sacred and the mundane. I choose to draw inspiration from a diverse array of sources—ranging from literature and pop culture to art history and archeological artifacts. In a world where art often finds itself categorized and compartmentalized, I like to challenge these boundaries, exploring how art interacts with politics and society at large.

Biography

I am living and working in Huntington, West Virginia, and I create multidisciplinary artworks including ceramics, painting, drawing, collage, video, printmaking, and sculpture. I am studying at Marshall University toward a BFA in Studio Arts, and will graduate this December. I have exhibited my work in multiple shows including the Stifel Fine Arts Center’s “Earth and Fire” National Juried Ceramics Art Exhibition in Wheeling, WV, where I showed my ceramic sculpture, “Graffiti on Brick”. I draw much of my inspiration from my love of art history, exploring many different techniques and styles used throughout time, as well as being inspired by non-traditional forms of art, such as graffiti and traditional tattoos. I enjoy creating works that explore and combine the traditional “high” art and “low” art styles, using conventional forms of high art, like ceramics, painting, and sculpture to depict low art style imagery. I have worked on a media campaign with the esteemed Blenko Glass by creating a sculpture used on their websites and social medias. I have also been featured in multiple art magazines, such as 53rd issue of Observica, 6th issue of Novum, and 52nd issue of Artistonish.

legrow4@marshall.edu