Nick Renshaw - Visual Artist

The series Men of Colour was conceived during a period in residence at the Northern Clay Center (NCC) with support of the McKnight Foundation. The resulting figurative sculptures were inspired both in the context of the physical location in which this work was undertaken, as well as through prevailing issues of specific significance to this community. The neighbourhood in which the NCC is located is one which represents Twin Cities’ as well as wider North American cultural diversity at its most profound. In a relatively compact geographical area the variety of race, colour, gender and creed is wide ranging. The influence on all aspects of the community’s broader identity is, as such, of an extensive nature. The often complex reality of this dynamic is in part discernible through the visual expression of each distinct group or tribe. The resulting multiplicity of references creates a unique and distinctively place specific combination of colour and form. One symbolic of issues perhaps less perceptible, yet of a far-reaching nature running through society.
A related exhibition toured a number of institutions throughout the state of Minnesota in 2014. These included the Paul Watkins Gallery at Winona State University, MacRostie Art Center, and the Talley Gallery at Bemidji State University.