Lecture in Photography: Marianne Nicolson

About The Event

The Museum of Contemporary Photography and the Photography Department at Columbia College Chicago are honored to have Marianne Nicolson in Chicago to present as part of the spring 2024 Lecture in Photography series.

Marianne Nicolson is an artist activist of the Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw First Nations. Her practice is multi-disciplinary, encompassing photography, painting, carving, video, installation, monumental public art, writing, and speaking. Nicolson’s work stems from a strong belief in the value of Indigenous philosophies and ways of being on the land and driven by a mandate for social justice and the well being of all peoples. She questions the social and political contexts which frame the existence of her Nation, the Dzawada’enuxw of the Kwakwaka’wakw peoples.  

In the exhibition, Native America: In Translation, Nicolson uses photography to explore memory with her monumental image-based and glass light installation. Nicolson is also one of the featured artists in the Native America: In Translation exhibition curated by Wendy Red Star and organized by Aperture.

Marianne Nicolson holds a BFA from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, an MFA from the University of Victoria, as well as an MA and a PhD in Linguistics and Anthropology with a focus on the Kwak’wala language. Her works has been exhibited in the 17th Biennale of Sydney; Vancouver Art Gallery; National Museum of the American Indian, New York; Museum Arnhem, Netherlands, amongst others. Nicolson has major public artworks installed in the Vancouver International Airport; the Canadian Embassy in Amman, Jordan; and the Canadian Embassy in Paris, France. Her work is currently showcased in Native America: In Translation.

Lectures in Photography are co-presented by MoCP and the Photography Department of Columbia College Chicago.

This program is produced in conjunction with the Native America: In Translation exhibition.