Meet our Artists-in-Residence for the 2019-2020 Season
We are proud to introduce our 2019-2020 Artists-in-Residence: Nikki Lau in ceramics, Corran Shrimpton in sculpture, and Robyn Gibson in drawing, painting, and 2D media. These three emerging artists were selected for this national competitive program. During their eight-month residency they will share their unique skills with the Armory and the community while teaching classes, developing work in their studios, giving lectures, and participating in outreach, exhibitions, and Armory public relations.
Ceramics
Nikki Lau was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. She was a 2010-2011 Alumni of AmeriCorps/Public Allies, resulting in her work shifting to themes of social justice and identity politics. She received her MFA with a concentration in ceramics at Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA in 2016. Penn State awarded her the Bunton Waller Assistantship. She received her BA in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA in 2008.
After graduating from Penn State, Nikki moved to Philadelphia, PA. She joined the all woman’s art collective This Many Boyfriends Club. She’s exhibited her work across the US. She has collaborated and worked with several non-profits in Philly including Spiral Q, The Clay Studio, Sankofa Farms, The Horticulture Center, PAWS, and Fleisher Art Memorial. She loves cooking for her friends and is recently finishing up a one-year artist residency at The Clay Art Center in Port Chester, New York.
Sculpture
Corran Shrimpton is from Syracuse, NY and received her BFA with a minor in philosophy from Alfred University. She is the recipient of the Lisa Elwell Ceramic Artist Endowed Encouragement Award and has exhibited throughout New York. She has worked as a studio intern and gallery director at the Saratoga Clay Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her work offers a unique take on figurative ceramic sculpture. While staying true to a classical realism it explores fantasy and surrealism. The sculptures combine the familiarity of the human form with non-figurative elements to create an image that extends beyond reality and invites the viewer to investigate, to empathize, and to connect on an emotional level.
2D Media
Robyn Gibson is an emerging artist and recent graduate of the New York Academy of Art. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Louisville in 2014. Since receiving her Master’s in Fine Art in 2018, Robyn has been developing her own style and multidimensional art practice. Larger-than-life-sized bold, gestural charcoal figures on canvas, a lyrical writing style meant to pack a punch, and quick textural figure sculptures all convey movement that is important to her work. As an artist obsessed with self-portraiture and the exploration of her insecurities and identity, Robyn constantly thinks of black identity, black bodies, and what it means to be authentic. During this time of racial unrest, working to claim ownership of her own space is important in her work. She is influenced by not only her own experiences, but also artists like Toyin Ojih Odutola and Shantell Martin who deal with ownership of space and identity.
