I started The Art Seen to solve a simple problem: there was a lot of great student art on campus, but no one was looking at it. As the gallery grew, I refined the mission into two parts:
To make art accessible to anyone—visible and affordable in a way original art rarely is.
To support students in their creative endeavors. Give students a place to establish themselves as artists, and to make a little money while they’re at it.
With these goals in mind, I brought together over 20 artists in a variety of exhibitions, hosting shows all around the Williams campus and wider community, culminating in a pop-up sale of student art at the 2024 Williams Alumni Reunion that generated over $2000 for students in two days.
The gallery also gave me a crash course in leadership. I started off trying to do everything myself, and quickly realized that the things that worked best involved others: connecting with local businesses, building community on campus, and encouraging reluctant artists to show their work.
tangled, the first guest-curated exhibition and a resounding success, emerged through a day-long conversation with two artists who proposed the idea. It was a reminder of what I had learned over the course of running the gallery: that leadership isn’t about having all the answers yourself, but instead creating the space for other people’s ideas to flourish.
I didn't mean to start a condom brand. Born from a feverish vision of 'ravioli condoms,' Papa-Nopapa’s has become a case study in taking a stupid idea seriously, and watching people actually respond to it. Launching summer 2025, Papa Nopapa's is a novelty brand taking advantage of the natural shape of condoms, but with a deeper purpose. While it might look like a joke, it's not. Coming soon here.
Papa Nopapa's is defined by cohesive, informed branding. After a fact-finding road trip to Amherst College to talk to students we didn't know, we built a brand to appeal to others like us: slightly immature college students. Through multiple iterations of the packaging design and based on that audience research, we finally perfected the details. The real world exploration of making and re-making packaging design resulted in a can that is eye catching and keeps offering details for the viewer to explore.
All of Papa Nopapa's advertising materials aim to be funny, surprising, and sex positive. By capitalizing on the viral world we live in using targeted memes and videos, we hope to gain a cult following among a Gen-Z audience and beyond. Our marketing strategy is characterized by controversy, absurdist advertising, and an "all news is good news" approach.
As an art history/studio major (in addition to English), and the co-leader of the Ceramics Club, I've been lucky enough to be immersed in the arts at Williams and in the wider community.
The attached work is from various studio art classes, including Drawing, Oil Painting, and Video Art, in addition to assorted ceramics work.
I'm Nick, a soon-to-be-graduated senior studying English and Art History/Studio at Williams College. I'm interested in product design and branding, which ideally work hand in hand. I'm exploring careers in advertising and marketing: how we were convinced to use the products we now use every day. I love art, design, books, movies, music, and anything else with an uncompromising and well-executed vision.
Get in touch:
Email: npg2@williams.edu
LinkedIn: @nickgarlid
Nick Garlid
Email: npg2@williams.edu
LinkedIn: @nickgarlid
Get in touch!