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.

Jess also owns a red electric guitar that she likes very much.

2000- Present Scenic Artist-United Scenic Artist Local USA 829

Projects:

2013

Co-Director - Swell Sound and Vision - Multi-media and interactive event

1994

Co-Director - @Mustard, Inc. - A non profit arts space, Brooklyn, NY

1991

Co-Director - Brand Name Damages Gallery - Brooklyn , NY

Exhibitions:

2020

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 - Brooklyn, 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

2013-14

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 Meat Show - organized by Circle Arts, NY
Art Hop - Juror selected artist, Burlington, VT
2009

Solo Show: "Uncommonly Selected: Rorschach Blot Drawings" - The Kelly Writer's
House, U of Penn, Philadelphia, PA
Small Works Show - 440 Gallery, Brooklyn , NY
2006 Smaller - 10-63 Gallery, Long Island City, NY

2003 Flat Files - Pierogi 2000 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2000 Flashlight - Flipside Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
1998 Recent Works - Temple University Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1996 Living Room - 558 Broadway Gallery, NYC
1995

SoHo Biennial - 8th floor Gallery, 475 Broadway, NYC
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
1993 Outdoor Sculpture 1993 - Manhattan Psychiactric Center, Wards Is, NY
Organism - Artist and Co-Curator, inaugural event, @Mustard, Brooklyn, NY
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
1992

Cat's Head - Artist and Co-Curator, Immersive event, Dublin, Ireland
Group Show - Cold Fish Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Salon of the Mating Spiders - Test Site Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Bug Prints - Four Walls Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
1991

The Liquification Show, Brainstain -mural, Immersive event, The Bank, NYC

Residual Light - Brand Name Damages Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
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:
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