Hi, my name is Nica Aquino.

I'm a first generation Filipina-American. I was born & raised in Los Angeles, CA. I received my BFA in Photography from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. I am currently in pursuit of my MFA in Filmmaking at the Manchester School of Art in Manchester, England.

My work explores place, identity, community, socio-economics, multiculturalism & the cross cultural experience.

My photoraphy currently explores these topics through documentary. I would love to pursue my masters in the UK to further pursue documentary work, but through video.

I am currently a part time high school teacher in Community Awareness & Beginning Photography. With an MFA, I can one day teach at university level & I would love to teach what I teach now in high school, but to other adult emerging artists. Furthermore, I would ultimately love to give back to my community in Pico-Union one day, through art & education.

I made this brief video that explores the neighborhood I grew up in through a first person point of view. This community exploration is the type of work I would like to continue to explore in future work. (warning: may cause motion sickness)

However, in order to make this happen, I need a lil' bit of help from friends & family to help me pay for my visa & air fare. My visa alone is going to cost me $1400USD.

Anything would help & I would greatly appreciate it. Coming from a low-income marginalized community like Pico-Union, not many of us get the opportunity to go to grad school, let alone even go to college. I never thought I'd have an opportunity to move to the UK one day & I have really big dreams of traveling & showing the rest of my community my adventures & sharing my knowledge. You would really be helping me make my dreams come true!

"Imagine if you had the chance to help Marina Ambromovic or Rebecca Horn or Cindy Sherman or Adrian Piper before they became what they are today. Don't miss an opportunity to have an impact on art history." Words by one of my great mentors, Gabrijel Savic Ra . I am lucky to have him as a mentor, as he has helped guide me in my art career & gave me a chance to first exhibit some of my video work in Europe for the first time last year. This same festival is where artists like Ana Mendieta & Marina Ambromovic has exhibited before they became famous. Thank you for giving me my chance, Gabrijel! And please, to my friends, just like Gabrijel gave me my chance, if you could also give me a chance to help with my future & help women of color gain recognition in the film industry.

Maraming salamat! Thank you for taking the time to check out my video & Go Fund Me page. You can check out more of my work at nicaaquino.com

Forever Grateful,
Nica Aquino




07/23/2015 - This print is still up for grabs!!! Print donated to me by community artist Espy to go towards my school fund... It is going up for a donation of $75 or more. Pen, marker, ink, acrylic paint & pastel chalk on 9in. x 12in. Bristol. Please e-mail me if interested. :3 [email redacted]







Preview of a few pages of a fine arts photo book I put together based on my learning experience in Hawaii... If I can make my goal, I would love to print a small run of this book to give out to people who donated $40 or more to my school fund. If you've already donated $40 or more, you will for sure get a book. You can see more previews of my book on my art blog at nicaaquino.tumblr.com . Let's get this book printed!