#8: Nikki Brugnoli: Daily Ritual as Art Practice

I loved talking with Nikki! We discussed how and why she made the shift from teaching at the university level to teaching high school and the value allowing her career dream to change brought to her life. She talked about how she balances teaching and family and art-making and how her art practice is connected to every part of her life. She uses daily rituals to continue making throughout the busy times. She talked about embracing failure as an opportunity to learn. Nikki has such an incredible way with words and I found myself wanting to write down so many of her phrases! I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

I especially liked the idea of teaching on a platform of failure, helping high-achieving students learn to embrace failure and learn from it, both in artwork and in life. I also love the lists she shared of her current inspiration. Check out the blog post to see photos and links to the books she’s reading, podcasts and music she’s listening to, and art she loves. Thank you, Nikki!!

Nikki Brugnoli received her BFA from Seton Hill University (2004) and her MFA from The Ohio State University (2007). She currently teaches studio art at Flint Hill School, in Oakton, VA and serves on the Artist Advisory Committee for the IA&A at Hillyer, Washington D.C. Previously, she served on the faculty at George Mason University and was the Assistant Graduate Programs Coordinator and Graduate Advisor in the School of Art. She also was the Coordinator of the Art Lab at the Lorton Workhouse, Lorton, VA and served as a Hamiltonian Mentor. Nikki has taught at The Ohio State University, the Northern Virginia Community Colleges, and The Renaissance School in Charlottesville, VA. Nikki’s work is included in many private collections across the United States, and is featured in national academic and public institutions.

Nikki is married to Artist/Maker, Josh Whipkey and they have one son, Finnegan, a crazy tabby kitty boy, Augustus Ravioli, and one-year old golden retriever, Joon. They started SILO PRESS, a small artist residency in their farm house in Warrenton, VA in 2017.

In her recent 2-person show with her husband, Josh Whipkey, at Riverviews Artspace, both artists aim to share their experiences of loss, transformation, re-evaluation and memory, after being displaced from their home in 2015. Check out her site for more images and poetic writing accompanying each body of work.

Blog post with images and some of Nikki's writing 

nikkibrugnoli.com

@nikki_brugnoli

Silo Press - the residency program Nikki and her husband run out of their home

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