From polar ice fields to the new and old world tropics, Heather Nicole and Andrew C. Strom have photographed a range of wildlife in their natural settings.

The Capital City Arts Initiative’s exhibition, Wild, presents work by Nicole and Strom at the Courthouse Gallery from February 4 – June 10, 2025. CCAI will host a reception for the artists on Wednesday, February 12, 5:00 – 6:30p.m. with the artists’ introductions at 5:30. The Courthouse is located at 885 E Musser Street, Carson City; the gallery is open Monday – Friday, 8:00a.m. – 5:00p.m.

Nicole and Strom provided this description of their photographic mission: “Wildlife is an essential and under-appreciated part of the world we live in. It is also something that is heavily, and often unknowingly, impacted by our own actions. By capturing close, intimate pictures of nature and wild animals we hope to demonstrate that these fellow inhabitants of the planet are worth our attention and deserve our respect. When you take the time to look closely, you will find that all animals have personality, mood, and emotion. Humans and wildlife are more similar and more connected than we may realize. Through photography we show nature in a way that may be previously unseen. In this ever-changing world, there is an urgency to tell the stories of the voiceless. Success to us would be to raise awareness of how our actions impact our world. We hope to help people grow closer to the wild, develop a connection to the wild, and ultimately, respect the wild.”

Andrew C. Strom travels to find his subjects in their native environment while upholding the most stringent standards with regard to ethical and responsible practices when documenting wildlife. When weather and travel is limited he also focuses on both macro photography as well as creating digital art based on the wildlife subjects he has captured.

Strom is an award winning photographer based in Northern Nevada. He grew up in the Reno area and after serving six years in the Army National Guard he became a public servant, currently working for the City of Reno. Andrew took up photography during the pandemic of 2020 after meeting his now wife and fellow photographer, Heather Nicole. In the few years since, he has earned acknowledgement for his work photographing moments in wildlife that capture the mood, personality, and soul of his many subjects. He has achieved a number of awards from organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation, Birdwatching magazine, Outdoor Photographer magazine and Nevada Artists Association. His work has been featured in galleries both locally and internationally. More of Strom’s work can be found on his website: AndrewCStromPhoto.com

As a child, Heather Nicole enjoyed using Polaroid, disposable, and eventually professional cameras to capture anything and everything. As she grew older, she became more artistic with photography and began looking at things with more intent. Over time, the intent of her photography evolved to focus on wildlife and conservation; two things she is incredibly passionate about. For her entire life, Heather has felt a deep connection to wildlife and nature. Naturally, her lens has always been focused on the wild things. She enjoys using photography to capture beautiful moments in time which would otherwise only be held as a fading memory. More-so, she enjoys using photography to show a different perspective of a familiar scene or animal. She strictly abides by the utmost respectful and ethical practices when photographing wildlife. Heather grew up in a small town on Florida’s Gulf Coast. She moved to northern Nevada in late 2019 and shortly thereafter, the pandemic forced her plans to change. This change led her to meet her now husband and fellow photographer, Andrew C. Strom.

Nicole is an award winning and published photographer. She has won nearly two dozen photography awards from organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Outdoor Photographer magazine, Wild Heart Gallery, and Nevada Artists Association. Her images and stories have been published by Outdoor Photographer magazine three times and her digital work has been widely published. When not traveling or photographing wildlife, Nicole works for the City of Reno. To see more of Nicole’s work, visit: MomentsByHeatherNicole.com

Chris Lanier wrote the exhibition essay which is available as a gallery hand-out and archived at ccianv.org. Lanier is an artist and critic who generally likes to mix things up – words and pictures, video and performance, design, and art. He’s had work shown and published in the U.S., Mexico, England, Japan, France, Canada, and Serbia – and has written for The Believer, HiLobrow, Furtherfield, Rhizome, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Comics Journal. He was awarded a Nevada Arts Council Literary Arts Fellowship in 2024 and served as Reno City Artist for 2024. He is a Teaching Professor of Digital Art at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe (formerly Sierra Nevada College). Read more at http://chrislanierart.wordpress.com

April Reyes, a Western Nevada College Latino Leadership Academy student, provided the Spanish translation of the show’s wall text.

CCAI is an artist-centered not-for-profit organization committed to community engagement in contemporary visual arts through exhibitions, illustrated talks, arts education programs, artist residencies, and online activities.

The Initiative is funded by the John and Grace Nauman Foundation, Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, Carson City Cultural Commission, Kaplan Family Charitable Fund, Southwest Gas Corporation Foundation, Steele & Associates LLC, and CCAI sponsors and members.

For additional information, please visit CCAI’s website at www.ccainv.org.