BOSTON — A new non-profit founded by a recent local college graduate is helping artists turn their passion into a career. The emerging artists are showing off their work in Boston, with a nod to the New England coastline.
“I wanted it to kind of tell a story,” said Nikki Ekstrom, an artist whose pieces are being showcased in an exhibition.
Nikki Ekstrom’s story is like many artists trying to break through.
“Teaching is my full-time until the art catches up, but this is obviously my passion and what I want to be doing full-time,” said Ekstrom.
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Nikki graduated from UMass Lowell studying art. Any extra time she has, she is at the studio pursuing her passion. Her hard work didn’t go unnoticed.
“He messaged me on Instagram and said, you know, I’ve seen your art online, and we’re having a show in about a year, so if you’d like to be a part of that, then we’d love to have you,” said Ekstrom.
James LaMarca is helping up-and-coming artists like Nikki get recognized. He too has a love for the arts but followed his father’s footsteps in finance.
“I’ll find a career, make money, and then kind of maybe explore philanthropy, explore the arts when I’ve established myself,” said James LaMarca, founder of Contemporary Climate Gallery. “But I actually had a stint of medical issues for over about a month while I was in college. And that moment really made me reflect on, like, I should do it now.”
James founded Contemporary Climate Gallery, a non-profit dedicated to giving emerging artists the funding, mentorship and exhibition opportunities they need to succeed.
“It’s really to drive opportunities for emerging artists in unique ways that are non-traditional from what is an art space,” said LaMarca.
The latest exhibition, Working Coast: Below the Line, was held at the Fort Point Arts Community gallery space. The show, strategically placed along Boston’s historic Fort Point district, is a nod to the neighborhood’s maritime and industrial warehouses, many of which still house more than 250 artists.
“So I wanted to make something that was beautiful, like the ocean that I was looking at every single day,” said Ekstrom as she described her work.
The gallery not only features three Boston-area artists and their work. For Nikki, she will be showing off pieces she created during a residency in Greece, made possible by James’s non-profit.
“CCG has helped with my confidence as a young artist to put my name out there, put my story out there because, as an artist, you have to understand that not everyone’s going to be receptive to your work or necessarily like your work, and you just have to kind of put it out there anyway,” said Ekstrom.
Only a fraction of people who study art become professional working artists, and a much smaller percentage earn their entire living from their art. James and his non-profit are working to change that.
“What we hope to have from this is people look and say, ‘Oh, there are some really cool things happening outside of the mainstream and some really cool artists that we hope to also help introduce people to,” said LaMarca.
“Everyone needs someone like him, you know, that’s there for them and can back them and just wants to help them because they genuinely do want to see us grow and want to see us have opportunities and be able to expand and connect people,” said Ekstrom.
All the pieces at the exhibition are for sale. The Contemporary Climate Gallery will also be donating a piece to a local organization.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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