TCC Sculpture Blog: Nicole Beck

Nicole Beck is a wonderful sculptor who is based in Chicago. She was educated at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL for her MFA in 1991 through a graduate fellowship, as well as at

Loyola University of Chicago, AB., with a degree in Communications in 1984. Beck also completed undergraduate studies at both the

School of the Art Institute of Chicago and

Purdue University located in West Lafayette, IN.

Nicole Beck's sculptures are mechanisms and contrivances that play with refractions in light, space and time. Her work centers around a holistic approach to art and physics, and is an exploration in perception, growth and interconnectedness.

Beck addresses both the regard for beauty and the laws of quantum physics, and gives form to well-crafted and quirky objects of poetic reflection. Abstracted apparatus and organic forms are juxtaposed as poetic metaphors for archetypes of the flow and balance of energy and life systems.

At the heart of her public works beat the rhythm and beauty of the dynamic systems found in nature and the sciences. Basic geometries balance form with ideas. The elements in her sculpture and installations fuse to create quirky and beautiful poems in space. Large scale public works are her forte. Beck is adept at budgeting, scheduling, fabricating, negotiating and collaborating on projects, and has a degree in communications as well as fine art. She constructs most of her large-scale steel works herself and fully understands fabrication methods.

Beck's repertoire of media mainly include steel and stainless, bronze, wood, glass, and landscaping outdoor public spaces.

She has also been very active in creating collaborative murals and mosaics for public spaces with diverse groups of apprentice artists recruited from the surrounding community. These projects require delving deep into all aspects of the community that can inspire and inform the artwork.

(http://www.nicolebeck.com/)