Q & A with Nicole M. Watson:
‘We need artists to help us navigate the challenges of the world.’
It’s been a few months since Nicole M. Watson joined the M as the Director of Exhibitions and Collections (though, to be fair, that includes the holiday break). Seeking her fresh take on the M, we pulled her aside for a chat. Watson says she’s excited by the M’s mission and eager to embody it in upcoming work, including facilitating upcoming artwork rotations for HERE, NOW: Selections from the M’s Permanent Collection.
Her eyes lit up at the topic of the M’s State Fair Award. “I’ve always loved that the M prioritizes this acquisition,” she says. “I can’t wait to be part of the selection committee.” To Watson, the M’s 14-year practice of purchasing a work at the Fine Arts Building serves as a chef’s kiss to local, and many times, emerging artists. “With this award, we’re saying, ‘We see value in the work you’re making, and we want other people to see it, too.”
What was your “Aha” moment with art?
Honestly, I don’t really have an “Aha” moment. It’s always been present in my life. I’ve been drawing and making art since I was a child. My parents are creative: my mom is a writer, and my dad is a carpenter. Creativity and the arts are so engrained in my upbringing that when I chose to study art in college, they really celebrated it. I was fortunate to grow up in a family that valued and supported my passion.
What’s your first memory of the M?
My first memory of the M was learning that the M didn’t have a building. I remember thinking: Where’s the collection? Who’s taking care of it? I learned that community members had stepped up to be caretakers.” It struck me as: What resiliency! How wonderful that the community stepped in to protect the collection and seek out a permanent space. I felt an enormous sense of pride—Of course there are folks here who will step in. I also thought how lucky we are to have a collection that’s Minnesota-focused. It piqued my interest in following the M’s progress. It seems like the M has always led in terms of supporting Minnesota artists and engaging communities in their work.
Now that you’ve been on staff for a few months, what has surprised you about the collection?
When I came in for my final interview, it was my first time seeing HERE, NOW. As I walked through it, it was like seeing old friends. So many artists I recognized right off: Leslie Barlow, Pao Houa Her, Carla Romero, Jim Denomie. We are really making good on this idea of building a collection that reflects the community, has historically underrepresented artists, and has living artists present and part of it.
Based on what I see on the walls, it’s clear to me that this institution is living its mission. It’s important to me that communities in St. Paul see themselves on the walls of art spaces here. It made me want to be here and do the work here. Now that I’m here, I walk through the galleries and think: I can’t believe I get to work here! What an incredible gift for someone at this point in their career.
You’re a watercolorist, and your husband is a photographer. What does it mean—personally—for artists to have access to audiences on gallery walls?
Throughout my career, I’ve always worked with contemporary, emerging, and established artists—mostly with living artists. Artists are the fabric of our community: they reflect back to us history, community, lived experiences. By extension, art spaces and exhibitions become places for learning and where we develop empathy. I feel that’s so important. We’re living in a time when being an artist is undervalued. You have to really want to be an artist. At the same time, we need artists to help us navigate the challenges of the world. When you can go into a museum and see artwork by someone who’s living and working, it validates your life experiences, your voice, and gives you confidence that you can be an artist, too.
