The first ever art exhibition by retired NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott opens at the Sayle Gallery in the Isle of Man next week.

Now a full-time artist and motivational speaker, Nicole’s exhibition – ‘Around the World in 90 Minutes: An Astronaut’s Perspective’ – sees her using painting and photography to share her impressions of the awesome views of our planet and spacecraft that she experienced during her time living and working in space.

The exhibition is sponsored by ManSat, and will run from Friday, May 27 until Sunday, June 26. The Sayle Gallery, based in the Villa Marina Colonnade, is a registered charity and supported by Isle of Man Arts Council.

Nicole is the veteran of two spaceflights and spent 104 days in space, on both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS). She few three Space Shuttle missions and two ISS missions, and carried out one spacewalk. Nicole is also a NASA Aquanaut and the holder of the women’s world record for saturation diving following her 18-day mission on the Aquarius undersea habitat.

‘Our planet, our Earth, is stunningly, overwhelmingly beautiful,’ Nicole explained. ‘Each orbit presented some new and different perspective of that beauty. Through my artwork I am attempting to uniquely share even just a glimpse of that beauty, with the hope that out of that beauty will arise in others the same heightened appreciation for our planet that I am blessed to now feel - and that I feel an obligation to share. I’m very pleased to be presenting my artwork for the first time at the Sayle Gallery in the Isle of Man.’

Always an artist, Nicole brought a small watercolor kit with her on her mission to the ISS and she is the first NASA astronaut to paint in space. Her first ‘Earth view’ painting was a watercolour created while aboard the ISS, and she now uses a mixed media approach to her art, with sea glass fragments, stones, and textured gels just a few of the materials that she has incorporated into her paintings, allowing her to express the many shapes and forms on show when viewing the Earth at 17,500 mph from 250 miles up.

Nicole’s husband, Chris Stott, was one of the forerunners of the Isle of Man’s space industry, setting up ManSat in 1998. Since 2000, the company has carried out satellite filings for the Island under a contract with the Isle of Man Government's Communications Commission.

Manxman Chris said: ‘It is our honor and privilege to support the Sayle Gallery in this world first for both the Isle of Man, and my wife, Nicole. Her work embodies everything that is important to our STEAM programs at ManSat – science, technology, engineering, Arts, and math. What can I say? I’m thrilled that we can do this and do it here at home in the Island.’

While in the Island, Nicole is giving a talk at the Manx Museum on Sunday, May 29, hosted by the International Institute of Space Commerce, the world’s leading nonpartisan think-tank dedicated to the study of the business, economics, and commerce of space.
The event starts at 6.30pm and entry is free, but tickets should be reserved at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/calling-earth-an-astronauts-thoughts-by-nicole-stott-tickets-25156833767.