Jessica Nissen is a native New Yorker who escapes frequently to the mountains and the ocean. Since 1991 she has exhibited extensively in New York galleries, and has participated, both as an artist and as an organizer/curator, in several large-scale interdisciplinary art events.
Nissen received an MFA in painting from the Tyler School of Art, a BA from Middlebury College and earned undergraduate credits from the Rhode Island School of Design and Tyler. She has been a fellow at The Corporation of Yaddo, SIm Residency in Iceland and the Chautauqua Institution.
Curatorial Projects
2022 - 2025
Co-director/ curator Coral Door - pop-up gallery in West Village, NYC
2013
Co-director / curator Swell Sound & Vision - a multimedia, interactive performance event, Bklyn, NY
1994
Co-director / curator @Mustard, Inc. - a non-profit arts space, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY Co-organizer/artist Cat’s Head 2 -a multimedia and interactive performance event, Dublin, Ireland
1993
Co-organizer/artist Organism - a multimedia and interactive performance event. Brooklyn, NY
1992
Co-director / curator Brand Name Damages Gallery - Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
1991
Co-organizer/artist Fly Trap - a multimedia and interactive performance event, Brooklyn, NY
Exhibitions:
Solo
2013
All in Our Head, Mind Storms & Echoes: Gallery at Halsey, Brooklyn, NY
2010
All In Our Head : The Firehouse Gallery, Burlington, VT
Pattern Recognition, Voices of Central City : Central City Artist Project, New Orleans, LA
Group and Curatorial
2025
Speculative Geology: Two person show with Kevin Pyle, Untouchables Gallery, Newburgh, NY
Elemental Fictions:Dreams, Froth & Prophecies: Curator and Artist, Coral Door, NYC
2024
Salon de Refusé:
BWAC, Brooklyn, NY
Precarious: Incubator Studio Gallery, Brooklyn, NYJohn Bjerklie: Curator, Coral Door, NYC
Among Friends: Metaphor Projects, Brooklyn, NY
2023
Elemental Fictions-Distillation,Distortion, Detail: Co-curator, Director, Artist, at Coral Door, NYC
South Brooklyn Salon: Thomas Van Dyke Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Pressure!,: Incubator Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2022
Elemental Fictions: Co-curator, Director, Artist, inaugural exhibition at Coral Door, NYC Among Friends: Equity Gallery, NYC
Re-Discoveries: NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, NY
Interview/Presentation: VOW POW - Art on Tap
2021
Small Works: The Royal Society of American Art, Williamsburg, Bklyn
For Folk’s Sake: Invitational online auction benefiting the American Museum of Folk Art, NYC, NY
Other Voices: Atelier on Spring, Oyster Bay, LI
Patterns in Nature: Online Exhibition curated by WoArt
Duel: The Royal Society of American Art, Williamsburg BKLYN2020
Artist's For Social Justice: Kupferberg Center for the arts at Queens College,Queens, NY
Live Mag! Issue #17: Painting “Cloud Lick” published, NYC, NY
“Under the Impression”: Painting “Blue Storm” Cover, Poetry by James Berger, BlazeVox
Global Pandemic Magazine: Painting “Pandemic City #4,” Poetry by Caitlin McDonnell
Drawing in the Time of Social Distancing: LIC-Arts online exhibition, LIC, NY
2019
Among Friends: Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center, NYC, NY
Group Show: Jamie Forbes Gallery, Center Moriches, NY
3 person exhibit, The Interchurch Center, NYC, NY
Jews and Rock: Brooklyn Jewish Art Gallery at CKI, Brooklyn, NY
Inaugural exhibition: Real Eyes Gallery, Adams, MA
2018
Featured artist: Fat Canary Journal: End of Year Issue
Solely Women: William Ris Gallery - Jamesport, NY
Dissent: Explorations of the Subconscious - LIU, Brooklyn,NY
Currents-Abortion: A.I.R. Gallery - Brooklyn, NY
Sideshow Nation 6: Sideshow Gallery - Brooklyn, NY
Onward!: Outsider Art Fair: Andrew Edlin Gallery - NYC, NY
2017
Idiosyncratic Monochromes: Poets and Artists Magazine: Issue #85
Alternating Currents: Mayson Gallery - NYC, NY
RESIST!: van Vessem Gallery - Tiverton, R.I.
Thru the Rabbit Hole: Sideshow Gallery - Brooklyn4 NY
Group Show: Rivington Rehearsal Studios: NYC, NY
2016
COLOR - curated by Lilian Tone of MoMA, Bwac, Brooklyn, NY
The Persistent Nature of Urgency - Mayson Gallery, 526 west 26th, NYC
2015
Variations - Gallery EOSS, Providence, RI
2014-13
7 Women Painters - Big Town Gallery, Rochester, VT
Lotus Outreach Benefit Auction - San Fransisco, NYC & online
Fathoming The UnderBelly - The Gallery at Wren, Bethlehem, NY
Solo Show: All in Our Head - Gallery at Halsey, Brooklyn, NY
20th Anniversary Exhibition – Pierogi 2000 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY.
Swell Sound & Vision - Multi media event, Fire House Space, Brooklyn, NY
Gala and Season Preview - Wren Gallery, Bethlehem, NH
2012
Sweet- Group show, Studio Arts Place, Burlington, VT
Paintings-Three person show, J.O.G, Philadelphia, PA
2011
All in Our Head" Rorschach Drawings - 4 Heads Art Fair, Govenor's Is. NY
2010
All in Our Head" Rorschach Drawings - The Fire House Gallery, Burlington, VT
Solo Show: "Voices of Central City" - Central City Artist's Project, New Orleans, LA
The Meet Show - organized by Circle Arts, NY
Art Hop - Juror selected artist, Burlington, VT
Solo Show: "Uncommonly Selected: Rorschach Blot Drawings" - The Kelly Writer's
House, U of Penn, Philadelphia, PA
2009
Small Works Show - 440 Gallery, Brooklyn , NY
Smaller - 10-63 Gallery, Long Island City, NY
2006
Flat Files - Pierogi 2000 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2003
Flashlight - Flipside Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2000
Recent Works - Temple University Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1998
Living Room - 558 Broadway Gallery, NYC
1996
SoHo Biennial - 8th floor Gallery, 475 Broadway, NYC
1995
Other Rooms - Group show, Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, NYC
The Bat Room - Group show, Brooklyn , NYC
Gene Pool's Hardware Show - Crest Hardware, Brooklyn , NY
The Deviant Playground - Immersive art and performance, NYC
Not for Sale Auction - Laura Cottingham Project, Flaningo East, NYC
1994
DYAD - Sponsored by World Art magazine, Sauce Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Entropy, Detritus from the late 20th Century - FPU Gallery, NYC
Page 5, Books by artists, writers and curators - 450 Broadway Gallery, NYC
Paintings and Unrelated Stories, Co-Curator - @ Mustard, Inc.Brooklyn, NY
Outdoor Sculpture 1993 - Manhattan Psychiactric Center, Wards Is, NY
Organism - Artist and Co-Curator, inaugural event, @Mustard, Brooklyn, NY
1993
Out of Town, The Williamsburg Paradigm - Krannert Museum, University of Illinois
Small Works - 80 Washington Square East Galleries, NYC
Fear of a Jewish Planet ( Let My People Show!) - Four Walls Gallery, Brooklyn , NY
Cat's Head - Artist and Co-Curator, Immersive event, Dublin, Ireland
Group Show - Cold Fish Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
1992
Salon of the Mating Spiders - Test Site Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Bug Prints - Four Walls Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
The Liquification Show, Brainstain -mural, Immersive event, The Bank, NYC
Residual Light - Brand Name Damages Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
1991
Fly Trap - Artist and Co-Organizer - Immersive event Brooklyn, NY
Group Show - Minor Injury Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Two People - Brand Name Damages Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Grants:
1998-Spring Project Completion Grant - Temple University, PA
Articles and Reviews:
2025 Interview with Canvas Rebel Magazine
2011-Mar/Apr Amy Rahn, Window into the Artist's Mind, Art New England
2011-Mar Madeline Gibson, Artist Gets, "All in Our Head," UVM The Cynic
2010-Oct Nathalie Mattheim, Les Voix de Central City, Le Monde
2010-Fall Ari Braverman, Neighborhood Amplification, NOLA Defender
1994-Fall Melanie Hahn, The Cat's Head: Contructing Utopia in Brooklyn and Dublin
The Drama Review, v.139
1994-Winter Medea De Vise, The Evolution of Warehouse Events in Williamsburg
Breukelen Magazine, v. 1 no.3
1991-April Kit Blake, In The Darkness of Isolation, Worm, issue #20
Residencies:
2019 SIM Residency - Reykjavik, Iceland
1994 The Corporation of Yaddo - Saratoga Springs, NY
1990 The Chautuaqua Institute - Chautauqua, NY
Employment (Non Teaching):
2000-Present Scenic Artist - United Scenic Artist Local USA 829
Teaching:
2013-Winter Visiting Instructor, Middlebury College - "Alien Eyes," Intro to Drawing
2009-2011 Visiting Instructor, Middlebury College - "Out of Line," Drawing with Line
as concept in both 2-D and 3-D.
2005-2007 Visiting Instuctor, Middlebury College - "Big Noise," Building amplified
instruments out of found objects.
2004-Winter/Spring Visiting Assistant Professor, Middlebury College - Abstract Oil Painting,
Intro to Studio Art (2-D and 3-D), Advanced Oil Painting
2001-Winter Visiting Instructor, Middlebury College - Collage
2000-Fall Adjunct, New York University - Introduction to Drawing
1997-98 Assistantship, Tyler School of Art - Intro to drawing, Painting
Education:
MFA Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA - Painting
Summer The Studio School for Painting and Sculpture, NYC
BA (cum laude) Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT - Painting/Sculpture
Fall Rhode Island School of Design, R.I. - Painting, Drawing, Holography
Summer Rhode Island School of Design, R.I. - Pre- College Program