Jen Hicks is a multidisciplinary artist working across sculpture, installation, film, painting, and performance. She is the owner and director of Jane St. Art Center in Saugerties, NY—an exhibition space and artist residency dedicated to presenting new works that bridge artistic mediums and foster experimentation.

Biography

Born in Lawrenceville, NY, Hicks grew up in a creative household. Her mother was an opera singer, painter, and sculptor, while her father worked in television as a production manager and stage designer before transitioning into emergency rescue.

Hicks has exhibited and performed at venues and festivals including:

The School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, The Bromfield Gallery (Boston), Greeley Square Gallery (NYC), Mobius Artist Group, CRASHarts (Boston), CAVE (NYC), Wired Gallery (High Falls, NY), B Gallery (High Falls, NY), Palmer Art (Larchmont, NY), Boulder Fringe Festival, New Orleans Fringe Festival, Artisterium Tblisi (Republic of Georgia), Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Oberon, collaborations with Liars & Believers (Cambridge, MA), EarthDance, Tsai Performance Center (Boston), Judson Church (NYC), Cross Contemporary Art (Saugerties, NY), West Strand Gallery (Kingston, NY), and Jane St. Art Center (Saugerties, NY), among others. She has created and directed over 50 original theater works, integrating choreography, dramaturgy, set design, and costuming.

Education & Training

• BFA, Tufts University (1984) – Performance, Theater Design, Installation, Fine Arts
• Studio Fine Arts Degree, School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (1994) – Painting, Sculpture, Drawing, Performance
• Diploma in Fine Arts Study, The School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (1996)
• MFA in Contemporary Performance, Naropa University (2006)

Her influential teachers include Walter Pashko, Bill Flynn, David Kelly, Skip Milson, Mags Harries, and Marilyn Arsem. At Naropa she trained with Wendell Beavers, members of SITI Company, Mary Overlie (Viewpoints), Barbara Dilley (Contemplative Dance), Erika Berland & Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen (Body-Mind Centering®), Emilie Conrad (Continuum), Jonathan Hart & Ethie Friend (Roy Hart Voice), Steve Wangh (Acting/Physical Theater), members of Tectonic Theater Project (Devised Theater), Meredith Monk, and Amy Russell (Ecole Jacques Lecoq).

She has also studied Butoh for over 30 years. Her main influences and teachers are Maureen Fleming, Koichi Tamano, Akira Kasai, and Katsura Kan. She danced in Katsura Kans international company for over 30 years

Awards & Recognition

• Traveling Scholars Fellowship – School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston / Tufts University (1996)
• Exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (1997) for award-winning installation/performance
• Franklin Furnace Alumni (NYC, 1997)
• Decade-long member of Mobius Artist Group, the longest-running performance art collective in the U.S.

Teaching & Professional Work
Hicks has taught and lectured at institutions including Massachusetts College of Art, Brandeis University, Naropa University, University of North Carolina, The Dance Complex, Green Street Studio, and Omega Institute. She served on the Woodstock Film Festival Board (2018–20) and the Exhibitions Committee at Byrdcliffe/Kleinert (2018).

Additional Certifications & Practices

• Certified Shintaido Martial Arts Instructor
• Certified Trance Dance International Facilitator
• Certified Yoga Instructor (over 10 years teaching, registered with the National Yoga Alliance)
• Licensed Massage Therapist (MA); studies at Boston School of Shiatsu, Cortiva Massage Institute, and New England School of Acupuncture
• Certified Personal Trainer, American Academy of Personal Training

Current Work
In 2014, Hicks founded Jane St. Art Center in Saugerties, NY, which now houses three galleries, offers classes and workshops, and supports local artisans alongside its residency and exhibition programs.