User:Janet Stupak/sandbox

Dean Nimmer established his career in the fine arts in 1970. Starting out as an installation artist with shows at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, he gradually moved to the arenas of abstract painting, drawing and printmaking by the mid 1980s. In the spirit of his installation works, Dean exhibited a series of 1000 drawings that were displayed together in a 150 foot compendium at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 1995.

In a traditional sense, most of Nimmer's work fits the art categories of "abstract" or "expressionist" painting. "I prefer the phrase "intuition painting" because it is tied directly to the creative process itself. For me, intuition is the wellspring and inner voice that guides me though all the aesthetic decisions that go into my paintings. I prefer this blind creative exploration because I want to be surprised by the outcomes. Though my paintings are abstract images, I feel rooted in the intrinsic beauty of the natural world. Since I leave my works open to the viewer's interpretations, I am interested in their impressions as this enriches my own artistic experience. The highest achievement I can attain however is to have my audience see something in my work that inspires them to create."

The popularity of this work led to shows from the 1000 Drawings series in Australia, Ireland, Spain, Japan, and China as well as exhibits in many galleries and universities in the US. His work continues to inspire the interest of museums and collectors from around the world. A catalog of Nimmer's works on paper created for the 1000 Drawings project is available on his website,http://deannimmer.com/catalog.ph.

Dean Nimmer is also well known as a teacher in the field of the fine arts. At the Massachusetts College of Art, where he taught from 1970 to 2004, Nimmer developed unique approaches to teaching the making of abstract art, which he calls "intuition painting". He is the author of the successful book, Art from Intuition, 2008, Watson-Guptill, currently in its fourth printing, http://deannimmer.com/gallery2.php Dean Nimmer is the 2011 winner of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Wisconsin and the 2010 winner of the Distinguished Teaching of Art Award given by the 16,000-member, College Art Association. Selected Exhibitions USA, Europe and Asia: International Print Center, New York City The Drawing Center, New York City Central Academy of Art, Beijing, China Museum Haus Kasuya, Yokusaka, Japan Royal Melbourne Inst. of Tech., Melbourne, Australia Western Sydney University, Sydney, Austrailia Sidney College of the Arts, Sidney, Australia Panorama Galeria, Barcelona, Spain La Laiterie Exposition, Strasbourg, France Stapelhaus Museum, Cologne, Germany DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, MA Danforth Museum, Framingham, MA Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA James Madison University, Harrisonberg, VA Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN Selected Public and Private Collections: Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA New York Public Library, New York City Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, MA Nassau County Museum, Long Island, NY Harvard University, Cambridge, MA Peabody/Essex Museum, Salem MA Plaza Hotel, New York City Museum Haus Kasuya, Yokosuka, Japan Burren College of Art, County Clare, Ireland Milwaukee Art Institute, Milwaukee, WI Smithsonian Archives, Washington D. C. Chemical Bank, New York City Gamblin Artist' Colors, Portland, OR Awards: Dean Nimmer is the 2011 winner of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Wisconsin and the 2010 winner of the Distinguished Teaching of Art Award given by the 16,000-member, College Art Association. Additional Awards: Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation, Grant Massachusetts Cultural Foundation, Grant Kao Foundation for Arts and Sciences, Grant National Endowment for the Arts, Grant National Endowment for the Arts, Fellowship Massachusetts Artists Foundation, Grant Contemporary Artists Center, Fellowship Consulting/Visiting Artist: Central Academy of Arts and Design, Beijing, China Museum Haus Kasuya, Yokosuka, Japan Drawing Center, New York City Ecole des Arts Decoratifs, Strasbourg, France Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, England Burren College of Art, County Clare, Ireland Nova Scotia College of Art, Halifax, N.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA Harvard University, Cambridge, MA Yale University, New Haven, CT Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA Center for Advanced Visual Studies, Cambridge, MA James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA Teaching: Dean Nimmer is Professor Emeritus from the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston where he taught painting, printmaking and drawing from 1970 to 2004. During his tenure, he was the Chairman of the departments of Painting and Printmaking and the Freshman Foundations programs. Currently, Dean continues teaching part-time at Holyoke Community College, in Holyoke, MA, as well as teaching various drawing and painting workshops at Art New England, Montserrat College, and more.

And yes, it's true that this is the same Dean Nimmer who was the drummer in the psychedelic rock group The Baroques, the first white group on Chess Records c.1967!