From Shane McAdams, Curator in Residence at Saint Kate:
Nova’s work came to me by accident, made possible by a long series of failed studio visits. I was wary after a hoarder asked me to buy her mother’s cat paintings, and she followed me to my car. It had forced me to question my ethic of saying “yes” as a matter of good practice and integrity. I gave her a tour at Saint Kate, and she asked if I would come to her studio. My guard was up, and I almost couldn’t do it. But a very sincere email and request led me to her studio…and to a delightfully surprised meeting in her home studio. The value of the work isn’t simply in the surprise, but in the productive conversation we had about what it meant to be dedicated to art and how to get it seen. Her paintings, sardined in her place, displaying commitment and dedication to craft and creation, appealed to my growing suspicion of the professional machine that churns regularly to create the art world we tend to see in museums and institutions.
