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— my story —

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photo credit: Adam Wells (@ajwells)

 

Why do i do this?
—

I live with a form of PTSD called complex post traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD). Each day involves sorting through emotions, feelings, and memories my body carries with me from my childhood and young adult life. I am slowly confronting and releasing the hurts I carry with me and learning to heal both my mind and body. Cutting woodblocks; carving into glass; and hiking in the woods have been soothing and healing processes I have learned to use to ease this and reconnect my mind and body. There is something meditative and calming about encountering the natural world and translating it into something that comes from me and through me as ink on paper before moving out of my hands and into someone else’s. This restorative cycle is further supported when I can share the process and connect with others in the printmaking community.

Nikki Jabbora - Barber (she/her), a gay Seattle-based printmaker and teaching artist, was born in Bellingham, WA to a Lebanese-German mother and Anglo-Swedish father. Her work focuses on her mixed race identity, centuries of storytelling, and womanhood through symbolic depictions of herself, flora, and fauna.

Nikki graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with an Interdisciplinary Visual Arts degree with a focus in printmaking and a separate Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences. She primarily teaches printmaking at Pratt Fine Art Center, Pilchuck Glass School, and other art schools in the Seattle area. She is represented by MESH Fine Art in Chicago, IL. 

Nikki regularly leads community engagement projects, including with the Seattle Art Museum. She sits on the advisory board for Seattle Print Arts and coordinates juried shows, in partnership with Davidson Galleries. Nikki balances making and selling her hand-pulled fine art prints; photographing works on paper for Davidson Galleries; and teaching community art classes. 

Things I do besides make art

Teaching Artist

Fine Art Photographer / documenter, specializing in 2d works

Seattle Print Arts Advisory Board Member

Paint murals

Give talks at universities, community centers, colleges, etc

Creative gigs

 

 

 

We’re tired, but finished printing the final piece for my show that opens this Saturday 😅 I’m a ‘work straight through to the deadline’ kind of person and thankfully Makenna is a kind, patient, and supportive partner who help
Hi! Thanks for checking out this holiday guide! Your time matters and we are all grateful for your support. Purchasing art and goods directly from craftspeople, makers, and artists makes the world of difference. Even a small purchase can change our
Hi :) Thanks for checking out the artist, craftsperson, and makers’ holiday guide! Your time matters and we are all grateful for your support. Purchasing art and goods directly from craftspeople, makers, and artists makes the world of differenc
Hey makers, craftspeople, artists! Send me the following info with: 1. Your name /business name 2. Link to your online shop 3. 1-2 images of your pieces for sale 4. *if you have time- 2-3 words that loosely categorize your work I’ll put them a
It’s happening! I’m still working on my final giant woodcut, but I’m mostly ready for my first solo museum exhibition 🤩 at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA). Here’s a small snippet of details ☀️I hope you can make it out
Printing these large scale woodblocks takes me about an hour per print. I roll up fabric on to a wooden dowel with help from my partner, Makenna. Then we start unrolling the fabric on to the inked block little by little while printing with a glass fr