Nancy Mintz

Nancy considers herself a “materials artist,” taking inspiration from the innate potential of the diverse media that she has mastered through her career— including ceramics, wood, and metals, to textiles, and paper. Each material is employed for its unique ability to signify meaning: steel for its industrial strength, wood for its solidity and sense of warmth, and clay for its ability to convey human touch and fragility, and so on.

In her recent work, she has been examining the diversity of natural biological communities and the processes of growth, decay, and succession. She is especially interested in the forms of memory: the husks, pods, and shells left behind by the relentless fecundity of life. The structural forms are made of fine gauge brass wire, manipulated in a manner that implies movement or growth. While the structures incorporate intricate geometric patterns, the overall physicality of each piece reflects the organic imperfections found in nature. Nancy covers most sculptures in a soft Japanese Gampi paper, forming a tactile surface that both filters and deflects light, giving the work an ethereal presence. This nearly translucent material draws the viewer to the interior spaces, while evoking a fragility that contradicts the earth-bound metal work. Certain pieces are only partially covered, visually exposing the insides of the structures, creating a sense of discovery as the viewer changes perspective. This intimate interaction reflects my larger studio practice, which is rooted in the act of discovery and a sense of wonder.

Nancy received her BFA from California College of Art, Oakland, and her MFA from Mills College in 1993. A former resident at Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, Mintz has developed her practice both as a sculptor and a printmaker. Her work has been exhibited at noted venues such as the California Craft Museum, Bolinas Museum, Riverside Museum of Art, Southern Exposure, Catharine Clark Gallery, Traywick Contemporary, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: Artist Gallery.