Lori Nix (American, born )

Lori Nix (American, b.1969) is a photographer who is best known for her meticulously constructed subject matter. Nix was born in Norton, KS, and attended college at Ohio University, where she studied ceramics and photography. She uses this background to hand-construct her scenery. Nix uses various methods of lighting, scale, and materials to recreate visions she has for her photos. Her greatest influences include Casper David Friedrich (German, 1774–1840) and Thomas Cole (American, 1801–1848).

Nix is influenced by styles of Romanticism, the sublime, and Abstract Expressionism. Her earliest project, Accidentally Kansas, began in the 1990s. Nix went on to work on Lost and The City, which is a depiction of a city that no longer has any human inhabitants. Nix has a fascination with disaster type scenarios and often incorporates such scenarios into her work, while including a snippet of humor. She is also a photographer for numerous magazines, such as O and Glamour UK.

Nix’s work has been exhibited in institutions such as the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, WA, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. She has received honors such as the 2004 and 2010 New York Foundation for the Arts Individual Artist Grant. Nix currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Timeline

1969
Born in Norton, KS
1993
BFA, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO
1995
MFA, Ohio University, Athens, OH
American Photography Institute Fellow, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, New York, NY
1998
Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Grant Recipient
Greater Columbus Art Council Individual Artist Grant Recipient
1999
Artist in the Marketplace, The Bronx Museum
Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Grant Recipient
2001
Light Work Artist-In-Residence, Syracuse, NY
2004
New York Foundation for the Arts Individual Artist Grant
2010
New York Foundation for the Arts Individual Artist Grant
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY

Exhibitions

2014
The City, Galerie Klüser, München, Germany (solo)
2012
Bau-Xi Photo, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (solo)
2011
Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH (solo)
Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago, IL (solo)
2011
Randolph Macon College, Ashland, USA (solo)
2010
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Theoretical Physics, Boston, USA (solo)
2010
ClampArt Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
Summer Staged, Foley Gallery, New York, NY
The Museum of Unnatural History, ClampArt Gallery, New York, NY
2009
Miller Block Gallery, Boston, MA (solo)
2008
Pictures of things, Visual Arts Center, Portsmouth, USA
2008
The constructed image, Redux Contemporary Arts Center, Charleston, USA
2008
Stretching the truth, Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, USA
2008
Run for your lives! DiverseWorks, Houston, USA
2007
Theatre of Illusion, Lori Nix and Lisa Stinner, Gallery 44, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Randall Scott Gallery, Washington, DC (solo)
Jenkins Johnson Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
2006
Picturing Eden, George Eastman House, Rochester, NY
2006
Fresh: Contemporary takes on nature and allegory, International Museum of Glass, Tacoma, USA
2006
Among the trees, Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Summit, USA
2006
Joint Venture, Nelson Gallery of the University of California, Davis, USA
2006
Davis, USA
2006
Manchester Craftsmen's' Guild, Pittsburgh, PA (solo)
2006
Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, FL (solo)
2005
Kendall College of Art and Design, Ferris State University, Grand Rapids, USA (solo)
2005
Miller Block Gallery, Boston, MA (solo)
Innocence, New Britain Museum, New Britain, CT
Vital Signs, George Eastman House, Rochester, NY
2004
Alona Kagan Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
Enchantment, Art Space, New Haven, CT
2004
DiverseWorks, Houston, USA (solo)
2003
Managing Eden, the Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, USA
2003
The California Museum of Photography, Riverside, CA (solo)
Miller Block Gallery, Boston, MA (solo)
The Burbs, DFN Gallery, New York, NY
2002
Insecta Magnifica, Wave Hill, Bronx, USA
2002
Light Work, Syracuse, NY (solo)
2001
Voies Off, Arles, France
2001
Some Place Else, Kagan Martos Gallery, New York, NY (solo)
White Columns, New York, NY (solo)
Miller Block Gallery, Boston, MA (solo)
Toying with Reality, Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX
Spacetimelinks, Penzenstadler & Schaller Architekten, Barr, Switzerland
2000
It's a Cruel World, White Columns, New York, NY
Artist in the Marketplace, The Bronx Museum, Bronx, NY
2000
Untitled (Conjecture), SF Camerawork, San Francisco, USA
1999
The Artist as Patron, The Alternative Museum, New York, NY
1998
New Voices, New Visions, The Alternative Museum, New York, NY
1997
She's Funny That Way, Artemisia Gallery, Chicago, IL (solo)
1997
Altered Egos, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, Buffalo, USA

Public Collections

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC, USA
Spencer Museum of Art, Kansas University, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
Wellington Management, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Chase Manhattan Bank, USA
El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso, Texas, USA
Fidelity Insurance, Chicago, Illinois, USA
George Eastman House Collection, Rochester, New York, USA
Harvard Business School, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
Julie Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, Auburn, Alabama, USA
Microsoft, Redmond, Washington, USA
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, USA
Progressive Insurance, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Literature

DIVA Magazine, April/May Issue, No. 18, London, UK 1997
CONTACT SHEET, “Lori Nix: “Waiting to Happen” Number 119, 2002
CAMERA ARTS “Serious Play: Charmaine Caire and Lori Nix” October/November 2002
CONTACT SHEET, “The Light Work Annual 2002” Number 117, 2002
NEW YORK TIMES, Art Guide, pg. E38, November 23, 2001, Vol. CLI, No. 51,946
PHOTOGRAPHIE, “Lori Nix, Tableop-Fotographi” Nr 1-2/Januar-Februar 2002, No. 26.
SPOT, Houston Center for Photography, “The Dangers and Pleasures or Toys” Spring/Summer 2001
TIME OUT NEW YORK, March 9-16, 2000, Issue No. 233, pg. 57
TIME OUT NEW YORK, March 9-16, 2000, Issue No. 233, pg. 57
DIALOGUE, Cover Image, July/August, Vol. 21, No. 3 1998
NEWCITY, Chicago’s News & Arts Weekly, “Art Tip of the Week” June 19, Vol. 12, No. 472, 1997