Nicholas Cladis is an artist currently residing in Iowa City, IA. He is Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of Iowa Center for the Book. He has studied and lived in Japan, the United States, China, and Taiwan. Nicholas’ work considers socio-cultural interpretations of ecology and natural phenomena. Narrative has always been at the nexus of this research and artistic practice; threads therein include aesthetics, time, and community. He explores these themes through hand papermaking, installation, artists’ books, and multimedia.

For many years, Nicholas lived and worked in Echizen, Japan — an area with over 1,500 years of papermaking history — and continues to maintain an active relationship with the community there. His relationship with Echizen and his Japanese language skills have inspired cross-cultural arts exchanges, exhibitions, and workshops. He is the recipient of awards from the Japan Foundation NY, Stanley Foundation, Iowa Arts Council, and Fukui prefectural government, among others. His works are in collections in the US and Japan and he exhibits nationally and internationally.