The Reece Museum Exhibition Publications

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Introduction

In the spring of 1989, artist and ETSU alum Bill Nickels began drawing while sitting on a friend’s front porch on West Poplar Street in Johnson City. His friend’s porch overlooked a shallow valley so that he could see all the way to the hillside of Gilmer Park. This drawing remained in his thoughts as Nickels continued to work on other projects. One day, bereft of new ideas, he returned to the drawing and made a painting in the spring colors he recalled in his mind’s eye. Driven by an experimental fervor, Nickels returned to this landscape as a structural motif producing prolific reiterations. The series became known as View from West Poplar Street to Gilmer Park, or VFWPSTGP for short.

“In May of 1993, the work became a drawing of some satisfaction to me and I made the decision to only make work from this one drawing, distilled from the original landscape idea. I thought rather than make different landscapes in a certain way of working or style, I would endeavor to make this one landscape idea differently each time I approached it,” Nickels says.

The practice of making the series is one of vigorous creation. “I chase ideas,” Nickels says. “These bursts last through several investigations and hold my interest throughout. Then I realize I have made it to an understanding, not a completion exactly…an understanding. If no other idea exists, I return to the VFWPSTGP drawing. It waits without judgment or tariff. This lifelong investigation is ever-present and always challenging. I have made hundreds now.”

As Nickels continues to produce the series, the Reece Museum is proud to present View from West Poplar Street to Gilmer Park, an installation of thirty-one of the over 200 (and counting) paintings from this series. Full of excitement and experimentation, the VFWPSTGP installation provides a unique look into the artist’s process and fascination with his subject matter. The Reece Museum invites visitors to experience this series as a singular work that has been decades in the making.

Start Date

1-29-2024

End Date

3-8-2024

Exhibition

Bill Nickels (Art); Spenser Brenner (Curation & Installation)

Publication Contribution

Spenser Brenner (Design); BMC Creative (Printing)

Reece Museum Staff

Rebecca Proffitt (Director); Spenser Brenner (Exhibition Coordinator); Savannah Bennett (Collections Manager); Ashley Gregg (Education Curator); Mara Reynolds (Digital Access Coordinator)

VFWPSTGP: View From West Poplar Street to Gilmer Park

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