We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Nicolosi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, EMILY thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Working as an artist is both the best of worlds and the worst of worlds. First, to have the privilege to create art I consider to be one of the greatest things imaginable! I feel like I am fulfilling not only my own purpose in life, but contributing to making the world a better place because one of my missions with my art is to reflect on what it means to evolve as a human species- in terms of the social and the environmental.

At the same time, being an artist isn’t all roses- it can be a very stressful and demanding job as we must work in the confines of our current economic system, capitalism! That means doing so many other things that are not art, and taking on a vast array of different jobs in the process: being a marketing agent, a social media expert, an accountant, a specialist in contracting, a general contractor, a project manager, a Computer Aided Designer, a lighting designer, a master fabricator in a variety of materials and methods, a materials engineer, a boss, and so much more. It’s tough managing all of these roles, most of which I don’t have special training for! On top of that, there’s a lot of financial stress- I’m sure you’ve heard the term “starving artist!”

All said, the feeling that I am doing the greatest thing I can imagine doing helps me deal with all of the stresses and difficulties of making it happen.

EMILY, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In Theory Art Studios is a group of artists working together in a studio in Huntsville, Utah.

We have exhibited our works across the United States at festivals, cultural gatherings, museums, and in public spaces. In Theory Art Studios are the recipients of a number of awards and grants, for example from The Land Art Generator Initiative, Salt Lake City Arts Council, and Burning Man’s Honoraria Grant Program. Currently, our artworks are on display throughout the US, from Los Angeles, to Salt Lake City, Houston and Miami.

I’m the Lead Artist of In Theory Art Studios. I am a painter, sculptor and public artist. I was formally trained in Studio Art at the University of Vermont, and went on to receive my doctorate in Geography from the University of Utah. Today, I pursues my interest in the intersection of humanity, place, and environment through the sculptures I design for In Theory Art Studios.

My partner Lead Builder Ian Nicolosi is a trained engineer and master builder. With a degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Utah, Ian is passionate about pushing the limits and exploring new ways of integrating innovative materials into our sculptures. After over 20 years of professional fabrication experience, Ian is a master of building with impressive versatility.

In Theory Art Studios flagship sculptures deploy steel structures to compose recognizable symbols (e.g. star, heart, tear drop). These symbols are blanketed in geometric forms, often in dichroic materials that deliver shifting iridescence, and a sense of awe and wonder. Our installations build on this approach to draw the audience into immersive narratives by blending in found objects, written narrative, and LED art. Thematically, our work draws attention to our humanity and the potential thereof, both in terms of the social and the environmental: our relationships to ourselves, to each other, and to the planet. Our artworks emerge from the intersection of these themes with the places in which they are situated.

In Theory Art Studios forefronts environmental sustainability in our process, using upcycled materials and powering our studio with 100% solar. Bred in the Burning Man tradition of large-scale, interactive art, we are inspired to create works that transport audiences out of their day-to-day lives and into a space of inspiration and introspection. We are excited about bringing the dynamism and edginess of Burning Man-inspired art into the public view and under the eye of more diverse audiences.

We run our studio on two main types of business: rentals to festivals, corporate events, cities, organizations, etc. and public art commissions in cities across the US.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

It’s my perception that artists are thought of as magical people that have dreamy lives. In reality, being an artist in a world of advanced consumer capitalism is a very demanding and complex job to have! We are also expected to fulfill a variety of complex roles and are held to extreme standards of perfection, not only by ourselves, but also by our clients. I think it would be helpful to artists if society could perhaps take a moment to consider the complexity and challenges of being an artist in today’s world, and perhaps offer whatever resources make sense in their relationship to artists: support, encouragement, advice, funding!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

There is a particular goal and mission driving my creative journey. I actually have a PhD in Human Geography with an emphasis in climate change mitigation. I’ve always been an artist (a painter, actually), but after grad school started my journey as a sculpture artist- largely because of my time at Burning Man- but that’s another story!. With the art that I create, I am trying to imagine, to create pieces that reflect on what it means to be better humans, to evolve as a human species- in our relationships with each other (can we work from a place of love, understanding and connection- see our pieces koro loko, polychroma) and to the planet (see our piece “the prism of possibilities” which explored three different climate futures, or “fauna illuminata” which highlight endangered species in the Intermountain West). With our public art pieces, we try to connect these social and environmental themes with place- because places are the foundation on which we connect to the world (for example, see our piece “rosa geometrica” in Pasadena).

Contact Info:

• Website: https://intheoryartstudios.com
• Instagram: @in_theory_art
• Linkedin: Emily Nicolosi

Image Credits

Emily Nicolosi, Bobbi Tolman, Jane Hu