A Bit About me

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Hi there,

     My name is Brigette Nelson and I am the owner and operator of The Garden City Projects. If you wanted to know a bit about me...I grew up in a tiny town in Connecticut, moved to Colorado where I graduated from the University of Denver with a BFA and then made my way even farther west to Lake Tahoe. During the six year span that I lived in Tahoe, mostly Truckee, I had the opportunity and pleasure of working for a public sculptor, in a custom blacksmith/ metal fabrication shop and for a jeweler.

     Working with the public sculptor, Troy Corliss, introduced me to the world of public art and production of large scale works using steel and glass. We worked together for about 3 years until I transitioned into working in the blacksmith/ metal fab shop, Mountain Forge. Mountain Forge became my home and family. I learned more than I could have ever imagined in that shop- welding, forging, fabrication, how to install and do finish work along with design work. Everything was hand made and custom designed and built for each project that the shop took on. It really opened my eyes upon the endless possibilities of what can be created in metal.

     As many of you may know, I love to collect and reuse as much scrap material as I can when it comes to creating. While working at the Mountain Forge, I started to collect the steel and bronze scraps from the floor or scrap bin, cutting and cleaning them up to create one of a kind jewelry pieces and small sculptures. As time went on, I ended up working for a custom jeweler in town, Lorien Powers. I took my skills and knowledge of working with larger tools and brought them into the jewelry shop. in regards to the more refined jewelry techniques, Lorien shared with me some of the foundational skills that I have used almost everyday since then.

     At the end of 2015, I made a big decision to work on my own as an independent contractor. A few months later, I finished designing and building a coffee shop in truckee, Coffeebar, with some other talented folks and packed up and moved to Boise, Idaho.

     After being in Boise just a few months, I took the plunge and opened up my own studio space and storefront, The Garden City Projects. By chance, the shop ended up being located in the Surel Mitchell, Live Work Create District, a growing and welcoming arts district that has helped the arts community in so many ways. I spent two whole years growing that shop, filling it with local artists' work that was for sale, hosting art shows, concerts, private events, worked in there almost everyday and even had a mini ramp for skateboarding. It was pretty damn dreamy. 

     A few other gals had moved in along the way and when it was time for us to go, which was not by choice, we decided to open a collective space, which we called Maven, in downtown Boise. We remodeled the space ourselves, with some help from friends, utilizing as much material from the space we could to create somewhere that became quite unique. We had monthly art shows, featured over 40 local and regional maker's work, had a variety of vintage clothing and was home to a barber shop, Mullet Proof. This space was welcoming to everyone and became a locals' favorite. After a series of unfortunate and unforeseen events, we decided to close the Maven doors mid May 2020. Mullet Proof (the barbershop) continues to live on and expand in the space, where you can still find some of my work.

     That all being said and done, I continue to create in my studio in Garden City, which has moved to 43rd St where I share shop space with Rawhide Cycles, a motorcycle shop that focuses on vintage bikes and custom builds. I am there most days of the week, working on either jewelry, sculptures, lamps, or working on custom designs.

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Please feel free to reach out about stopping by the studio or about custom work including wedding rings, shelving, lighting, jewelry, sculpture, you name it...

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You can also find my work at Clay Collective, in the Boise Art Museum store, Salvage Sisters and Son, JD's Bodega, Vervain Apothecary, Mixed Greens, Lorien Powers Studio, Gallery 5830 and of course my own studio.

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Thanks for the continual support!

.Brigette

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