March 6, 2026 - May 9, 2026
Opening Reception: First Friday, March 6, 6-9pm
Artist Talk and Discussion: TBA
Lifelong Bills Fan explores the intersection of community identity, ritualized celebration, and the intimacy of grief. The work was conceived following the death of the artist’s mother Mary, whose final request was to share one last Buffalo Bills game from her room at Roswell Park. Centered on a folding tailgate table—frozen in a "collapsed" state that mimics an adjustable hospital bed—the installation serves as a kind of memento mori. By circulating Frank’s RedHot sauce through a medical IV pump and repurposing obituaries that cite team loyalty as a defining life trait, the piece confronts the macabre with humor and heart. It is a meditation on the "Lifelong Fan" as a person who finds connection and healing within a collective, even at the threshold of loss.
About the Artist
Paul M. Nicholson remains a Western New York artist at heart, though he currently lives and works in Ithaca, NY, where he serves as the Director and Curator of the Handwerker Gallery at Ithaca College. He previously directed the Martin Art Gallery at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania. Before his time in PA, Nicholson was based in Brooklyn; there, he worked at Parsons School of Design, founded the non-profit Botanic Gallery, and co-founded the Bushwick Beer Garden. He holds a BFA from SUNY Fredonia, an MS from Buffalo State College, and an MFA from the University at Buffalo. His work has been exhibited from his birthplace of Suva, Fiji, to New York City, and many points in between. @paulmnicholson
Photos
Supported by:
New York State Council on the Arts
Farash Foundation
County of Monroe
Gouvernet Arts Fund
Richard Schwartz
Anne Havens
and over 1,000 Members!
