Jack Nichelson: Sojourner Dream Reliquaries December 2, 2010

Jack Nichelson has been creating intricate and evocative "box environments" for more than 40 years. Part construction, part assemblage, his sculptures of wood, paint and mixed media have included series on war, toy transport and Japanese culture. 'Sojourner Dream Reliquaries,' Nichelson's latest series, represents the culmination of his long-standing fascination with the visual presence of religious reliquaries. Begun in 2000, Nichelson's 'Sojourner Dream Reliquaries' includes 22 sculptures replicating the basic forms of travel trailers from the late 1920s to the early 1950s. Both the compact size and the shapes of the trailers lend them to the secular reliquary concept. The exteriors are enhanced with color enamels and gold, bronze and silver in various textures and some of the roofs incorporate unusual surfaces such as snakeskin and birch bark. One additional work, a trailer park office building, completes the series. The intricate, lighted interior of each work invites the viewer to look very carefully at the details both inside and outside. Completed over a nine-year period, the Sojourner Dream Reliquaries series has never been exhibited in its entirety. All of the works in the exhibition are lent courtesy of the artist.