Herrera, Nicholas

Nicholas Herrera is an Outsider / folk artist from Northern New Mexico. His relatives were among the early settlers who came to New Mexico with Onate in 1598. Nicholas is a descendent of landowners, farmers, artists, and soldiers.

As a young man he walked a wild and precariously thin line until a sudden near-death experience, involving a car accident, transformed his trajectory in life.

He now lives a simple life in pursuit of meaning and metaphor through his art as a modern Santero who creates bultos, retablos, and large-scale works from recycled metal. Through the use of wood, natural pigments, and mixed media, Nicholas has exhibited works both locally and nationally that reflect the heritage of traditional santero art and address important contemporary social and political views. His strong personality and his independent spirit determine his powerful paintings and sculptures that depict — aside from the religious icons of his Catholic faith — images of the hardship of rural life, the demons of drugs and alcohol, and the horrors of war and terrorism.

Nicholas’ artistic abilities are diverse and each piece speaks of a spiritual nature that transcends traditional religion. He has many life accomplishments with worldwide recognition. His art is featured in over 30 museums worldwide, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Nicholas has also been referenced or written about in hundreds of books and publications including two biographies, Nicholas Herrera: Visions of My Heart and High Riders, and Saints and Death Cars: A Life Saved by Art. He has also received numerous awards and recognition, including the 2006 Award of Distinction from the Folk Art Society of America.

Nicholas has a rich history of supporting and helping others find their own artistic path and to give back to the community. From teaching small school children and troubled teens how to make retablos, to galvanizing a group of artists to create an alter screen for a renovated church, Nicholas has developed his craft fully. His inherent talent, and natural need to create, reveal a deep connection to his past. Nicholas has taught children’s workshops through the Spanish Colonial Art Society, the Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe, the Chicano Arts Festival in Denver, and at the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in Los Angeles, among others. Through the years, Nicholas has provided many free seminars and lectures at public libraries, area schools, museums, and churches. Not only has he opened his home to the local youth through residential apprenticeships, he frequently shares his story, art, culture and heritage with international, national and local visitors. Nicholas is still truly a New Mexican “village artist,” residing on his family’s land within the community in which he grew up.

Nicholas has donated countless pieces of art so that organizations, nonprofits and public programs as well as personal friends in need, may benefit by the sale or auctioning of his artwork. He has made numerous donations to museums worldwide as an effort to unify people and cultures. He continues to assist the local moradas and churches with restorations and renovations of religious artwork.

Episodes:
New Mexico Santero Nicholas Herrera, artist Michelle Lassaline, photojournalist Eddie Adams, and ballet teachers Juan Trujillo and Stefani Schrimpf
Nicholas Hererra, Pussy Riot, Godfrey Reggio