Jack Nielsen

Jack Nielsen holds a BA with honors from California State University, Sacramento and his MFA with honors is from University of California, Davis. While in college he was already an exhibiting sculptor and ceramists, with shows at Artist Contemporary Gallery, Open Ring Gallery in Sacramento, CA, Richmond Art Center in Richmond, CA and University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. While in graduate school he was an instructor at University California, Davis, California State University, Sacramento, and American River College, Sacramento. His first commissioned work was for the City of Davis in 1984, when he designed and fabricated a sculpture for the Veterans Memorial Community Center. Following this early success, Nielsen was commissioned by both public and private entities, throughout the 1980's including the City of Sacramento, City of Folsom, Bramalae Pacific Corporation in Oakland, CA. In 1995 Nielsen was commissioned after a national search by the City of Fairfield, CA to create a site-specific environmental sculpture in a rural setting that was the city's first public art project. The piece was designed to encircle an ancient oak grove, spanning about a quarter acre. This was a three-year process for Nielsen from design through fabrication to installation. "Renewal", the title of the work, became one of Northern California's most important pieces of public artwork. The success of "Renewal" led to the commission by General Services Administration for the new Federal Court House in Sacramento, CA. This sculpture concentrates on the on the visual impact of letters as objects, not as text. This piece exhibited in Berlin, Germany. He has also exhibited his work American Institute if Architects, Michael Himovitz Gallery and the Center For Contemporary Art, Sacramento, CA, Solano College, Fairfield, CA and the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, CA.

"Renewal"
Art will heal you
By Jackson Griffith

Jack Nielsen, "Primary Belief," powder-coated steel, 2004.
Sacramento County Primary Care Center, 4600 Broadway.

If you're looking for this new landmark, you can't miss it: It’s a giant, 10-foot disc, tilted on its side like a coin balanced on edge, festooned like a stylized Aztec calendar in bright fast-food colors. The massive piece, by Jack Nielsen, occupies the southeast corner of Stockton Boulevard and Broadway at the new Sacramento County Primary Care Center; it’s part of a remarkable installation of public art at the new health-care facility.
Two foyers, one facing Broadway and the other on the building’s east face, offer entrance to the building; both feature swirling ceramic-tile designs by Robert Charland and Holly Curcio. Once inside, there are two floors. And along the clinic’s hallways and in its waiting rooms, there is an impressive array of pieces by Sacramento artists.
Some favorites: On the first floor, in a corner, a quartet of three-dimensional ceramic pieces by Viktor Verkavodov recreates the surface of a shallow, rapidly flowing stream, with fish swimming between the few sun-dried rocks that peek out from the water. Across the hall in the pharmacy is a series pf psychedelic interpretations of local landmarks--Philipp’s Bakery, the Crest and Tower theatres, Vic’s Ice Cream and Jim Denny’s luncheonette--by Paula Wenzl. Her husband, Joseph Bellacera, painted an almost mystical vision at the other end of the floor; it’s tucked into a tiny anteroom off a larger waiting room. Upstairs are a pair of evocative American folk-art Van Goghs by Oak Park artist Alan Blish, a set of three Hmong tapestries, some photographs of the backs of heads by Greg Kinder, a railing and paintings by Michaele and Kendall Le Compte, and a series of floral paintings by Joan Moment. There is much, much more.
In all, 29 artists are represented in what has to be, overall, the most surprising collection of public art in town--in a place where you’d least expect to see it. Or something like that. You can judge for yourself on Saturday afternoon, April 10, at a reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. If you never cared about public art before, this collection may change your mind.

Community Artwork Graces the County Primary Care Center

The art connection

JayJay Art Gallery

Lots of images here and info on the commission process

SELECTED EXIBITIONS
1997-2005 SO much went on, will update soon

1997 Wientraub-Thomas Gallery , Sacramento,CA. Chair Show
1997 Center for Contempory Arts , Sacramento,CA.”Voyourism”an Erotic Art Show
1997 Wientraud-Thomas Gallery, Sacramento,CA. 12”x12” Show
1996 J. Maddux Parker, Sacramento, CA
1996 Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, CA
1994 The Kulturbrauerei, Berlin, Germany
1994 Gallery SO TO DO, Sacramento, CA (site specific installation)
1993 The Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, CA
1993 Sacramento City College, Sacramento, CA
1993 Artist Contemporary Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1992 “East Meets West”, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
1991 One Person Show, Michael Himovitz Gallery, Sacramento,CA
1991 “In Lakesh”, an Artist and Poet collaboration, Sacramento, CA
1991 “Sacramento Abstraction”, Sacramento City College, CA
1991 “A Tribute to Robert Arneson”, John Nastoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
1990 “Timely Return”, installed sculpture at the California Arts Council
Sacramento, CA
1990 “Natomas Station Project” Major Commission from River West Development Co.
1990 “Artist Chair Show”, Atomic Cafe/Artists Bar, Institute of Design and Experimental Art (IDEA Gallery), Sacramento, CA
1990 Ceramic Exibition, CSUS, Sacramento, CA
1990 “Sacramento Artists”, inclusion in slide show at the Museum of art in Hamilton, New Zealand
1990 “Trends in Northern California Art”, slide presentation,College of Art,
New Delhi, India
1989
-90 Major Commission completed, Lankford-Cook Development Co.
Sacramento, CA
1989 “8 Sculptors”, San Francisco Museum Rental Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1989 “Sacramento, Metal”, Davis Art Center, Davis, CA
1988 Bramalea Pacific Corporate Center, Oakland, CA
1988 “Artist in Crisis”, Sacramento, CA
1986
-87 Major Sculpture Commission installed, K.C.S. Development, Roseville, CA
1987 “One Person Show”, American Institute of Architects, California State Headquarters, Sacramento, CA
1985
-86 “Loneliness of Integrity”, Installed outdoor sculpture at the Davis Veterans Memorial Community Center, Davis, CA
1985 “Studio to Site”, Sculpture Invitational, Walnut Creek, CA
1985 “Chapman College Outdoor Sculpture Invitational”, Chapman College,
Orange, CA
1985 “Art Quest 85”, Los Angeles, CA
1985 “Cow Town”, Djurovich Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1984 “Discovery 84”, Simard Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1984 Victor Fischer Gallery, Group Show, Oakland CA
1984 “Contemporary California Sculpture”, Hastings Law School, San Francisco, CA
1984 “Invitational Ceramic Sculpture”, Hasting Law School, S.F.,CA
1983 Brook House Gallery,One Person Show, Orinda, CA
1983 25 Year Retrospective of the Artists Contemporary Gallery, Crocker Art Museum, ` Sacramento, CA
1982 “The Sculptors at U.C. Davis” , Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
1982 “Vessels”, Sonama State University Art Gallery, Rohnert Park, CA
1982 “Sacramento Sculpture 82’, Artist Contemporary Gallery,Sacramento, CA
1982 “Three Sculptors”, Rara Avis Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1982 “Brook House Sculptor Invitational”, International Sculptor Conference, Kaiser Center, Oakland CA
1982 Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA
1981
-82 Robert Else Gallery, Sacramento State University, Sacramento, CA
1981 Open Ring Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1980 “Major Sculpture Installation”, American River Community College,
Sacramento, CA
1980 Artists Contemporary Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1978
-77 William Sawyer Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Selected Shows Between 1972-80 have been omitted. If this selection is desired, it will be provided upon request. These include exhibitions in Canada, Ohio, Nevada, Indiana, Texas, New York and other cities in California.
ALTERNATIVE SPACES
1995 “FringArts” Exibition, Sacramento, CA
1995 “The Surrealeatates Exibition” Phantom Galleries, Sacramento, CA
1995 “Art as Healing”, Sacramento, CACOMMISSIONED PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ART WORK
1996 Major G.S.A. Commission, Federal Court House, Sacramento, CA
1994 Awarded Major site specific commission from a national search for the city of Fairfield, CA
1990 River West Development Co. and Phil Angelidas, site spacific water piece, Folsom, CA
1990
-89 Lankford and Cook Development Co. C.Y.P. Architectual Firm, Costa Mesa CA
site spacific water sculpture, Sacramento, CA
1987
-86 K.C.S. Developmen Co. , Williams and Paddon Architectural Firm, Roseville, CA
1986
-85 The City of Davis, CA, Site specific Sculpture
1978 The City Of Sacramento, CA , Site Specific Piece
1983 The Law Firm of Wientraub, Genshula, Hardy and Brown, Sacramento, CACOLLECTIONS
The Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, CA
University of California, Davis, CA
Branalea Pacific Development Corp. Canada
Prospect Farms Development Corp. San Francisco, CA
The Kanda Corp., Kagoshima, Japan
The Deputy Minister of Cultural Affairs, Shanghi, China

GRANTS AND AWARDS
1995 Visual Artists Fellowship Award- City of Sacramento, CA
1992 “Artist in Crisis” Grant
1990 California Arts Council Grant “Arts in Public Places”, Sacramento, CA
1987 American Institute if Architects Craftsmanship Award
1986 Visiting Artist Grant, California Art CouncilPUBLICATIONS
1993 Visions Magazine, Winter Edition
1993 In Site, A publication of the International Sculpture Center, June , Volume 6, #2
1991 “Committing Life Through Art”, KVIE Channel 6 P.B.S. A Documentary of “InLakesh” Artist/Poet Collaboration
1983 “Images in Clay Sculpture”, Charlotte Speight, Harper& Row
1983 Arts Alive-Metal Sculptors, KVIE Channel 6, P.B.S. September
1982 International Sculptors, December
1982 Issues and Images, November/DecemberCATALOGS
1994 Gallery SO TO DO, Capitol/Berlin - Hauptstadt/Sacramento
1991 “A Tribute to Robert Arneson T-B9”, Davis, CA
1991 “In Lakesh”, Sacramento,CA
1990 Artist Bar/Atomic Cafe, Artist Chair Show, I.D.E.A. Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1985
-84 Chapman College Sculpture Acquisition Program, Chapman College, Orange, CA
1983 25 Year Retrospective of the Artists of Contemporary Gallery, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
1982 The Brook House Sculpture Invitational 41, Brook House Gallery, Kaiser Center, Oakland CA
1982 The Sculptors of U.C. Davis, Davis CA
1977 Walnut Creek Invitational Ceramics Show, Walnut Creek, CA
1977 California Crafts Exhibition, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
1973 University of Nevada Sculpture Invitational,Reno, NevadaREVIEWS
ART WEEK- Aug.. 5- 93, Apr..- 93, Aug..-82, Apr.. -79, Feb.. 78
NEWS & REVIEW- May-93
WEST ART- Oct..-91
SACRAMENTO BEE- May-93, Sept..-91, Dec.- 91, Feb..-87, Apr..-79,Sept..-77
DAVIS SENTINEL- May-89
CONTRA COSTA TIMES- Feb..-84
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE- Oct..- 78
Reviews prior to 1977 have been omittedART RELATED ACTIVITIES AND TRAVEL
1996 Co-Developed and designed Sacramentos first Artists Live-Work space
1992 Extensive Touring and Studies in Japan
1989-92 Co-Authored, Developed and implemented the Artist Live-Work Space Ordinance for the City of Sacramento, CA
1991
-92 Pursued and won Major artist resale Royalty case against First Interstate Bank
1971-present
Particapated in Various Conferences, symposiums, workshops and lectures on a variety of issues facing artists and the visual arts, as well as my own work
Appointed to various panels and committees involving the visual arts in Sacramento, CA.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
American River College, Sacramento, CA, 1976-83
Sacramento State University, CA, 1974-76, 80-81, 90-91
University of California At Davis, CA1974-76
U.C. Santa Cruz, CA, 1980-81
California State Summer School for the Arts, 1988

EDUCATION
1976 M.F.A. University of California, Davis, CA (with honors)
1974 B.A. California State University Sacramento (CSUS), CA (with honors)