Nicole Penoncello, born in Torrington, Connecticut, is an artist based in Portland, Oregon. Her work employs a variety of media and interactive processes in order to uncover the history of found objects and explore individual and collective notions of sense of place. Her interest in cultural geography and community engagement has led her to produce drawings, paintings, recycled fabric quilts, found object and soft sculpture, personalized urban-garden cookbooks, neighborhood sewing circles, and mixed media installations. Nicole Penoncello earned a BFA in Sculpture from James Madison University, and is currently working towards an MFA in Contemporary Art Practice at Portland State University. She has exhibited her work in several galleries and art festivals in Seattle, Washington, as well as in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Additionally, she holds a K-12 teaching license with an endorsement in Visual Art, and has taught art to elementary, middle, and high school classes.