Rising Stars: Meet Nicole Van Dyken

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Van Dyken. 

Hi Nicole, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My name is Nicole Van Dyken, and I am a visual artist specializing in pen stippling and digital collage. While I do live in Chicago, Michigan is dear to my heart. My husband is from the Grand Rapids area, and since 2009, it’s been my second home. We were married in West Michigan, and some of our best friends and family members live there so we visit as much as we can. I’ve exhibited at Artprize 3 times and hope to move our family back to Michigan one day. Until then we continue to make the relaxing drive up i196, and we just love supporting the local area businesses. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For several years I had a career as a Human Resources Director in the Healthcare Industry. While I loved being able to work with and help people, I always felt I was missing out on something. When our first child was born, I made the tough decision to pause my career to take care of our daughter. I started a home daycare business that I loved and enabled me to help families and provide a safe and fun space for babies and toddlers to thrive. However, something was still missing. Then while visiting Artprize in 2017 with one of my best friends from Michigan, I was inspired to rekindle my passion for art. Seeing the city of Grand Rapids come alive with art and watching so many people come together to enjoy it reminded me that my art was a gift that I shouldn’t let go to waste. It was then that I decided to turn my passion for making art into more of a career than a hobby. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My latest Artprize entry is a lesson on Microaggressions. It’s a 22”x28” Pen Stippling on Paper called “Subtle Acts of Exclusion.” It shows examples of microaggressions that people of color experience on a daily basis, and it also depicts the frustration and anger that experiencing these “subtle acts of exclusions” can give rise to. Made up of 47 hours of dots, this piece shows a woman of color who seems to be letting out a scream. Around her are people and quotes of microaggressions directed at her. A microaggression is a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority). Author of Inclusion on Purpose, Ruchika Tulshyan, prefers to call these actions “exclusionary behaviors.” Coauthor of the book Subtle Acts of Exclusion, Dr. Tiffany Jana, prefers to call them “Subtle Acts of Exclusion.” 

The word exclusion captures what is harmful about microaggressions, and my goal was to capture that in my drawing. I’ve included examples that were subtle and some that were not so subtle. I’ve included images of people that visibly seem to be committing these acts unintentionally, as well as people that seem to be intentional with their exclusionary behavior. 

What was it like for you growing up?
My childhood wasn’t ideal, but I find that things have come full circle, and I’ve broken many generational curses. I was born in Chicago, and my mother’s new husband, my biological father, abandoned us after taking the money from the bank account. This forced my mother with her new baby to live with her abusive mother. At a young age, I witnessed abuse from my grandmother against my mother until one day; we ran away. The plan was that I would pretend to be sick to skip church, and while grandma was away, my new secret stepdad would pick us up and take us to our new home. I was 9 and was already experiencing anxiety but had no words for it. A year later, my baby sister was born, triggering what I believe was undiagnosed postpartum depression with my mother. That’s when the verbal abuse started. Eventually, it got up to physical abuse as well as emotional neglect. All through school, I was extremely shy, depressed, and anxious. I had to endure all the stresses of school, including mean kids, harassment from boys, and bullies, all while being bullied at home. My high school art teacher was a beacon of light during that time. He taught me everything I know about art. And helped me to appreciate and enjoy the process of making art which became my therapy, my outlet, my coping mechanism. Fast forward, I am a mother of 4 to happy children who never have to wonder if someone loves them. Now when I make art, I aim to validate the feelings of others by sharing my feelings. I also aim to inspire by showing strength and perseverance through the stories in my artwork. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artisticnic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artisticnic
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/artisticnic