• Artistic & Creative Director

Following her passion for all things creative led Nikki from a career in elementary education to a path in the arts, both professionally and personally. She left the classroom behind in favor of promoting the arts at the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph, Arbor3 Arts in Three Oaks, and with us here at The Acorn.

As Artistic & Creative Director of The Acorn, Nikki develops and implements our artistic vision and focus. She believes that the arts are essential to building community and that artistic experiences lead to unique and valuable connections. In her role, Nikki fosters our diverse programming, including regional talent and our Singer-Songwriter Competition, and directly manages all bookings for The Acorn’s exciting calendar of events. She is also responsible for overseeing our marketing initiatives, community partnerships and event operations.

It’s not hard to see how landing in the arts was all but inevitable for Nikki since she is an artist and musician herself. She came to music early in life taking piano lessons at her grandma’s side. Nikki was already no stranger to The Acorn stage when she joined our Team – she performs in local venues in her own name and sometimes using the stage moniker 'Dirty Sally.' While she may have been making music most of her life, Nikki only discovered her talent for visual art as an adult – she loves to create impressionistic, textured paintings and recently started to experiment with collage.

Nikki grew up in Cheboygan, MI and has made her home in Southwest Michigan since 2004. She and her partner live in St. Joseph. Nikki has a grown son who teaches sixth grade and a teenage daughter still at home. When she’s not at The Acorn, Nikki may be working in her greenhouse, getting a new tattoo, traveling to a concert or you can often find her wandering through shops and galleries in Harbor Country.