Nicole Titus: Ceaseless Drive, Limitless Ambition
If you run into Nicole Titus, and you may well have already, it could be pretty much anywhere. The chameleon-like multidisciplinary artist/gallerist/collector is seemingly everywhere, doing everything with everybody in today’s evolving New York art world.
You might have seen her wearing paint-stained sweats standing before a still-wet six-by-six canvas in her Brooklyn studio. Wait, was that her you saw in a shimmering silver gown and flowered tierra at the Metropolitan Opera the other night? Or in business attire meeting with Lavita McMath Turner, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s chief diversity officer? Or in a flowered shift at a gallery in the Hamptons? Maybe you were a participant in one of the countless meetings she has held with artists, investors, community leaders and the public. It doesn’t matter, really. What does matter is that if you haven’t run into Nicole Titus yet, you will soon.
Nicole was for years parallel parking on the bleeding edge of New York’s art underground, presenting her art where she could, writing about art for various publications, collecting pieces that fit her delightfully nontraditional trans-media tastes and curating shows of outsider art by underserved New York artists. Now, the 28-year-old South Carolina native is making bigger waves, diving headlong into the city’s mainstream art gene pool.
“I’m young, dedicated, hard-working and I’ve got backing. My ambitions are global. My impact will be generational,” she told EPN Magazine the other day. Faced with her disarming effervescence and boundless optimism, it’s difficult to dismiss this kind of talk as hyperbole.
With the help of investors, Nicole has opened Julia Seabrook Gallery, a renovated fusion of two storefronts at 660 Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights. And that’s just the beginning for this ambitious young dynamo. At the same time, she is working on her art at her newly leased studio in DUMBO, attending events from art openings to fashion shows, adding to her already impressive art collection and planning her next gallery venture.
We were able to convince the hyper-driven Nicole to sit still just long enough to answer a few questions exclusively for EPN Magazine.
What prompted you to open Julia Seabrook Gallery?
Going through the process of finding gallery representation for my own artwork, I realized that the system is broken and that I can play a role in fixing it. Too many galleries are part of an outdated network that puts too much power in the hands of too few. The existing gallery network makes it very difficult for new, younger, diverse artists to break through unless they have connections with the elite gallerists. As an artist myself, I know what emerging artists need. Artists need galleries that consider artists and their work based on the artistic merits, not on who they know. At JSG, we vet artists and their work carefully, but we don’t discriminate against artists because they are unknown, or self-taught, or because they haven’t gained the imprimatur of the art establishment.
How were you able to open your first gallery?
I grew up in foster care in South Carolina. I went to Converse College and the University of South Carolina studying art and art therapy. All the while I was creating my own art and looking for ways to get my art out there. I came to New York in 2013 with just a car loaded with my paintings. I worked very hard over the intervening years. My work captured the eye of supporters who became mentors and eventually invested in me and my art. We maintain those strong business relationships to this day.
What were some of the highlights for JSG?
Last year was huge for us. We signed leases on a pair of spaces in Crown Heights that we combined into a single, refurbished space. Our first opening in the new space is set for March 2. It’s a show called Miss Universe that features work by a group of emerging female artists selected for their talent, skill and artistic vision. Also last year, we showed at Art on Paper and at the Hamptons Fine Art Fair; both events were very successful in showcasing both the gallery and our artists. Finally, perhaps our biggest success of the year came not in New York, but Aqua Art Miami, one of the premiere shows during Art Basel week. Our two spaces at Aqua were extremely successful with many works selling over the four day engagement.
What are your art inspirations?
I’m inspired by many schools of art, including many of the modern masters. But saying you appreciate Van Goh, Monet and Picasso is like saying you appreciate the alphabet. I’m drawn to contemporary art, as anyone who has met me or has attended any of my events can tell instantly. The abstract expressionists were particularly important to the evolution of my artistic vision. Of monumental importance were Helen Frankenthaler, Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, and Mark Rothko. A piece by Frankenthaler is one of my prized possessions. I’m not much for realism, that’s what photography’s for.
Who are some current artists you find particularly engaging?
I love the New York artist Kian Mckeown. He has epic creativity and the technical skill to go with it. He works in lots of media, including sculpture, drawing and collage and brings the same provocative creativity to all of them. I also love Eric Stefanski of Chicago, who combines words and images to create works that are at once arresting and stimulating. One of the favorite pieces in my personal collection is a caboration between Hadley Vogel and Andres McGinty on a bound book-like sculpture that uses physical items rather than words to communicate its powerful message that challenges ideas about consumerism and restraint in post-modern America.
What’s your next move?
We are looking to expand into new spaces in Manhattan and the Hamptons. In fact, we found the perfect space in Sag Harbor, near the wharf. We came close to signing a lease on that one, but because the property is set to be demolished in 10 months we decided to pass and look for a permanent space in Hamptons where we can begin building a community around our vision over the longer-term. We’ve looked at spaces in midtown Manhattan as well, but have yet to find the perfect location.
What are your longer term goals?
I’m not setting any limits on myself at this point. I guess the goal would be to have galleries all over the word, but more importa
nt is having a positive impact on the art world by opening it up to new and engaging young artists that might otherwise find themselves excluded from the existing gallery and museum networks. I want to democratize the system. It’s as simple as that.
