A funny thing happened on the way to med school…

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This article was published 27/11/2023 (751 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The University of Manitoba’s 100th Rhodes Scholar, the first of his kind with a visual arts degree, stumbled into a creative career that has earned him one of the world’s most prestigious academic awards.

Joel Nichols, who originally planned to pursue medical school, enrolled in science courses of all sorts upon starting his post-secondary studies in 2018.

The following year, he added a life-changing elective — an introductory drawing course, during which art was treated as “a medium of communication” — to his schedule.

“I absolutely fell in love,” the 23-year-old recalled. “There was just something about art that really grabbed my soul and didn’t let go.”

Nichols has since made a name for himself as a budding interdisciplinary artist who specializes in ceramics, painting and printmaking.

His work, which explores the topics of identity, queer theory, bodily autonomy and the soul, and extensive volunteer experience caught the attention of the selection committee for the 2024 Rhodes Scholarship.

Following a lengthy selection process, Nichols was chosen to be one of 11 Canadians to receive an esteemed prize established in 1902 to honour young leaders who demonstrate academic excellence, dedication to their field and empathy.

Rhodes Scholars receive funding to complete two years of education of their choice at the University of Oxford in the U.K. — about an hour south of Nichols’ hometown, Birmingham.

Nichols, who was raised in Winnipeg, is slated to simultaneously pursue master’s degrees in fine art and studies in history of art and visual culture.

He said he’s both excited to continue higher learning and meeting others in his cohort because he gets artistic inspiration from having conversations with passionate people.

“The lone, recluse (artistic) mindset isn’t for everyone. I get a lot of my inspiration and my drive, motivation to create art from my peers and my professors,” he said, adding he is still processing the win and credits much of it to the supportive communities — including family members of British and Jamaican descent, as well as Canadian friends — in his life.

Nichols noted the profound sense of connection he built with peers in his initial university-level drawing course fuelled his desire to continue creating and communicating through artwork.

U of M professors described the recent graduate as a natural leader and devoted student, citing his eagerness to participate in classroom discussions and long hours working inside the ceramics studio at the Fort Garry campus.

Nichols graduated with honours in the spring. He served as both an LGBTTQ+ representative and president of his alma mater’s fine art student association, in addition to reviving its ceramics club.

A resumé as comprehensive as his — ranging from being a competitive badminton player to volunteering with countless community organizations — is “rare,” said Oliver Botar, associate director of U of M’s School of Art.

The art historian and his colleagues are celebrating Nichols’ success as a first-of-its-kind feat for their community.

“All the stars were aligned,” Botar said.

Ceramics professor Grace Nickel said she continues to be impressed by Nichols’ advanced skill in their shared craft — clay is a notoriously difficult medium — because he has been creating pottery only for a handful of years.

“He often talks about finding the soul in his work and I really admire the courage to go there and be vocal about that,” she said.

Nichols indicated his recent projects — including a mixed-media series showcasing painted faces attached to body silhouettes covered in prints displaying answers to a call-out he made asking people about what affected their souls — challenge the notion that the human body “is just a vessel for the soul.”

“I think the body has great autonomy and agency over who we become and who we are, given how society perceives us and how we are treated because of how we look,” he said.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca