Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Nicki Marie, ‘Northern Stardust,’ and reasons to keep looking up

Arts | June 19th, 2019

Art by Nicki Marie

You may have seen Nicki Marie slingin’ her elaborately folded paper star creations at various craft and cultural festivals around the region. She was also a recipient of a folk art and traditional apprenticeship grant made possible for the North Dakota Council on the Arts and learned scherenschnitte and wycinanki through Tower City based folk artist Meridee Erickson Stowman in 2016. This Thursday, Nicki Marie’s first gallery exhibition titled, “Northern Stardust” will be opening at the Spirit Room in downtown Fargo. A total of 36 of her intricately woven pieces will be on view through August 17.

High Plains Reader: What initially attracted you to the paper arts?

Nicki Marie: You know, I think it started in school as a child--remember paper cooties or fortune tellers? I used to fold pieces of paper in half repeatedly until there was a grid of creases and then fold those creases in different directions to create imaginary rooms/dioramas. I would do this over and over again 'til the paper fell apart. I must have enjoyed the precision of it and creating something three dimensional out of a simple piece of paper.

HPR: Your birds and stars are beautifully folded and woven--which is no easy task. Can you tell us a bit about this process?

Nicki Marie: Lots and lots of paper strips! Each star has four strips of paper, folded in half... working with eight ends and each step repeated eight times - folding and weaving ends back in on themselves. Both stars and birds start with a simple basket weave (over-under-over-under). Traditionally, they were done with strips of birch bark or preserving paper stars by dipping them in wax and sprinkling glitter on while wax is still warm.

HPR: Were these stars and birds rooted in family tradition?

Nicki Marie: No, not mine, but I do remember making paper chains with my mother during the holidays and I must cling to that feeling of creating something festive to decorate and brighten a space.

HPR: You’ve been a part of German Kulturfest and various other cultural festivals in the area. How long have you been participating in these festivals and what drew you to them?

Nicki Marie: I’ve been doing them since 2015, wanting to learn more about my own heritage, searching for a sense of belonging and wanting to connect with others in the community.

HPR: How long did it take for you to prepare for your “Northern Stardust” exhibition?

Nicki Marie: I started in May. Since it's my very first gallery exhibit, I wanted to recreate a few favourites from the past years along with creating new pieces specifically for this show that reflected more of where we are seasonally and where I am as an artist. It's a small sampling of paper star variations that hopefully honours and helps keep this traditional art form alive.

HPR: What draws you to the bird and star imagery?

Nicki Marie: They are both very good reasons to keep looking up!

HPR: Tell us a bit about your apprenticeship with Meridee Erickson Stowman, how did you hear about the traditional art and folk art apprenticeship program?

Nicki Marie: I was selling star decorations at the German Folk Festival over at Rheault Farm in Fargo in 2015 when Troyd Geist (ND Folklorist) saw my booth and approached me about my experience with paper cutting and recommended I apply for an Apprenticeship.

HPR: Prior to your apprenticeship did you do too much with 2D paper work or were you primarily working on three dimensional work?

Nicki Marie: I used to do a lot of collage back in high school and mail art in my swapping days previous to my star slingin'.

HPR: What's the most difficult part of your process?

Nicki Marie: I suppose finding unique paper that is weavable--strong enough to handle pulling, but won't crack or break when folded. Hunting for paper is also one of the fun parts.

YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Northern Stardust: Paper Folk Art Opening Reception

Thursday, June 20, 4-6 p.m.

Spirit Room, 111 N Broadway, Fargo

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com Ten North Dakota communities will participate in the nationwide No Kings Day of Peaceful Action on October 18. The grassroots movement is a nonviolent protest against President Trump’s…

By Kooper Shagenakoopershagena@gmail.com One night, Jane Linde Capistran, associate conductor of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, sat and drank wine with her friends: “Jennifer Tackling, the associate concertmaster, and…

Friday, October 31, 5-9 p.m.Ziti’s Italian American Restaurant, 3150 Sheyenne St., Suite 170, West FargoSavor a delectable five course meal with beverage pairings. (Nonalcoholic beverages are available upon request, but must be…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com At the end of September, downtown Fargo said goodbye to another old friend; the Spirit Room closed its doors, marking the end of an era. The Spirit Room room has been a fixture downtown for the…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWill we be banging or whimpering at the end of the American empire?T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Hollow Men” accurately portrays the end of most empires in his first lines: “We are the hollow men/…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Nichole Hensenrickgion@gmail.com The wait is finally over. Those who have visited Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe lately know about the recent major additions and renovations that have taken place over the past…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Dream-factory documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe connects with a Hollywood legend in “Kim Novak’s Vertigo,” the latest in a series of features exploring the filmmaker’s many…

By HPR staffsubmit@hpr1.com Mark the first weekend of October on your calendar. It’s the weekend of the Studio Crawl, which takes us all on a wonderful, metro-wide tour of our talented (and often wacky) arts community. On October…

Press release“Shakespeare with a sharpened edge.” To launch its 2025 – 2026 season, Theatre NDSU is thrilled to team up with Moorhead-based organization Theatre B to perform a co-production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com When we are sick, all we want is a cure. You go to the doctor, they give you a pill, you take it for a bit, then you are cured. It happens. But unfortunately, it is not always the case. …

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.comMoral accountability and the crisis of leadership  As a recovering person living one day at a time for the last 35 years, I have learned not to judge others because I have not walked in…