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Bay St. Louis artist Vicki Niolet is on a personal mission to ensure a bright future for her town. Even before Hurricane Katrina, she renovated six old buildings and homes, owned businesses and worked to promote Old Town because of her love of the place and its people.
Vicki’s inspiration for the piece Beach Boulevard BSL, 1947, was a snapshot of the downtown area before the storms of 1947,
Camille and Katrina. “The fact that Bay St. Louis has bounced back so many times to become a wonderful place to live inspires me to believe that it will happen again. 1 wanted to show' Bay St. Louis in its heyday, with busy restaurants and businesses on Beach Boulevard.”
Vicki Niolet has been creating three-dimensional assemblages for over 25 years, using found objects, clay, and photography Since Katrina, she has collected discarded fragments and incorporated storm debris into her creations. “1 usually acid clay and cast paper components to finish the piece. These handmade additions are my way of balancing the accidental nature of found objects.”
She has created over 200 pieces using her “Katrinkets”.
Vicki has won numerous awards from Pennsylvania to Florida for her innovative approach. 1 ler most recent solo exhibit was at YVard-Nasse Gallery in New York City. She has also published two books of photographs, Parting Shots, about post-Katrina Old Town Bay St. Louis, and West Side Stories with fellow artist Betty Stechmann. Vicki’s studio is in the Lumberyard Art Center in Bay St. Louis.
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