James Heartsill

James Heartsill (b. 1952) is an artist who has worked at NIAD Art Center since 1989. His work references real and imagined architecture, and he has spent many years constructing, redesigning, and maintaining miniature wooden environments. 

To create his installations, Heartsill collects wood, toys, and various natural and found objects. He uses blocks of pine to form the walls of houses, which are later arranged together in neighborhoods, sprawling cityscapes, and treacherous battle zones. A meticulous level of care is paid to each structure: walls are bolstered, shifted, and repainted; courtyards are leveled and landscaped; additional rooms sprout, shift, change color, and receive guests. The spaces are frequented by dolls and army figurines, all voiced by Heartsill as they interact and move about their hand-built domains. 

Heartsill extends this same generous attention to the NIAD studio space itself, coating communal shelves with fresh coats of paint, patching holes, and organizing material – a daily practice of maintenance that positively impacts all of his colleagues.

His drawing practice provides respite from these ever-evolving construction projects. Works on paper feature clusters of flowers and pumpkins, or sturdy homes centered between trees under moonlit skies. 

Heartsill’s work has been featured in group exhibitions at Et al. Gallery, San Francisco, CA; 120710 Gallery, Berkeley, CA; Studio Route 29, Frenchtown, NJ; SAIC Wellness Center, Chicago, IL; and Art Et Marges Museum, Brussels, Belgium.