Dr. Nichelle Rivers

Nichelle Rivers, a multi-media artist and educator, is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. Her bold and vibrant depictions are not only inspired by her culturally rich childhood, but also by such iconic art figures like Faith Ringgold, Frida Kahlo, Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence. Her work is also inspired by her love of music and bringing to life spatial relationships and patterns. She likens her need to create art in its many forms to breathing…Simply put, it keeps her sane.

Dr. Nichelle L. Rivers, a multi-media artist and educator, is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. Her bold and vibrant depictions are not only inspired by her culturally rich childhood, but also by such iconic art figures like Faith Ringgold, Frida Kahlo, Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence. She is considered a contemporary artist with a splash of abstract expressionism given her mood. "My paintings are a manifestation of my soul." Over time her work has been grounded in her love of music and bringing to life spatial relationships and patterns. She likens art to each breath she takes and explore texture along with bold and vibrant colors that permeate with every brush stroke. Capturing color is everything to NiRi. A social justice activist since she can remember,she uses her voice as an artist to convey the pain, the turmoil, the anger, the misunderstanding and lack of acceptance that exist in our society.

Dr. Rivers launched the Stolen Lives Project which highlights the fatal violence inflicted on the transgender community by painting portraits of victims coupled with spoken word poems that convey a strong message as to the lack of laws and the pervasive violence that plagues the transgender community.   She is still challenged by the diversity of her work and uses this in preparation in what will be an explosion of creative passion on canvas. Simply put, creating art and being a voice for the voiceless keeps her sane. She holds a B.S. in Art Education and a M.Ed. in Educational Administration from Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Memphis. 

Dr. Rivers was featured in the November 2003 issue of Memphis Magazine describing her many educational adventures and artistic talents. In 2012, she illustrated her first children’s book entitled “Heavenly Daddy Why do I Talk this Way”, by author Jennifer Carter. She has exhibited throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties, in addition to Tennessee, Minnesota and Illinois.

A proud twenty-eight-year member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., she currently serves as the Director of Fine, Performing and Culinary Arts in the West Hempstead Union Free School District and the founding President of the P.O.W.E.R Foundation, an advocacy and empowerment organization that works with LGBTQIA youth, at-risk student populations and local faith and community-based organizations in the Nassau and Suffolk County areas. The passion she feels for the education of children continues to drive Dr. Rivers.

She lives by the mantra, taken from one of her “sheroes”-Audre Lorde-, “When you dare to be powerful, to use your strengths in the service of your vision, then it becomes less and less important whether you are afraid.” She and her family reside in the Long Island area.