From the Darkroom to Startups

It’s a Friday night and Nicol Mai, BA+BFA ‘27, is developing her photographs in the deep red light of SMFA’s darkroom. It’s a tactile, contemplative process of moving images across chemical trays and hanging them to dry. The space is free of phones and other auditory distractions, with only the sound of water running along the trays. 

“I always want my pictures to be perfect,” Mai says. “I enjoy the meditative craft of considering light, shadow, and composition. It’s strange how much I enjoy the darkroom.”

Mai is studying art history and studio art with a focus on photography and graphic arts. She is also considering a third major in either psychology or child study and human development. She was drawn to Tufts because of its Combined Degree program and the flexibility to study a variety of fields.

“The openness of the curriculum has helped me to gain more skills as an artist,” she says. “I’ve been able to blend different ideas and mediums together to create something truly unique.”

For as long as she can remember, Mai has loved art. She grew up drawing—mostly animals, objects, and fantastical scenes—and started experimenting with documentary, film, and portrait photography in high school. 

Her family frequented museums and art galleries, which inspired her to create an exhibition in her hometown of Shenzhen, China. Titled “Distance,” it included works from high school and college students, alongside emerging and professional artists, reflecting pandemic-era themes of isolation, loneliness, and fear.

Since high school, Mai has volunteered as an art instructor for elementary school children in a remote, rural area of China, which inspired her to take a Tufts course titled “Child Art” exploring the meaning behind children’s drawings and how they signify developmental milestones. “This class has helped me to develop better lesson plans and has given me a deeper understanding of creativity and human development,” Mai says.

Some of her favorite courses have been taught by Professor of the Practice Chantal Zakari, with whom she is currently completing an independent study creating a photographic and text-based artist’s book about her family. “Chantal has given me a lot of great advice and resources,” says Mai. “You have to be a hard worker in her courses and she’s taught me a lot.”

As part of Zakari’s class “Cookbook: the Politics of Food-Related Design,” Mai created a two-page magazine spread titled “Food for the Dead.” It was inspired by an ancient Chinese tradition of leaving out offerings to honor loved ones who have passed. The spread outlines the steps to complete this ritual, and features photographs and intricate red and yellow designs with references to traditional Cantonese menus, 17th-century Dutch banquet paintings, and Nickolas Muray’s 1950s food photography.

Mai also created a cover for the course’s magazine: an AI-generated image of an uncooked chicken posing seductively among flowers, tulle, and cherries—a humorous subversion of sexualized and feminine portrayals of food.

Zakari comments on Mai’s work, saying: “Nicol is an exceptional student artist who approaches her work with serious commitment and endless creativity. Her work is not only constructed with great craftsmanship and care, but is also rich conceptually and reflects a sense of absurdity. She has an amazing ability to layer a variety of cultural and historical references—from painting to photography to graphics.”

Mai also loved her Art Entrepreneurship course, which prepares students with the financial knowledge and promotional skills to secure funding, exhibitions, internships, and job opportunities.

Mai has completed a host of internships, gaining experience in a variety of creative fields. She worked in branding and graphic design at an interior design firm; contributed social media, outreach, user testing, and design work at an AI imaging company; provided marketing, web design, and event support at a real estate company; helped sell artwork at a boutique art asset management startup; and gained UI/UX, podcast, and video production experience at a local media group.

Along with sixteen other SMFA students, Mai is launching a startup creating a centralized platform for artists, curators, creative professionals, and art enthusiasts to connect, discover new opportunities, and make the art work more visible and accessible. “This business is informed by our experience as artists and the problems we face in finding resources and opportunities,” she says. 

After graduation, Mai is considering attending graduate school or pursuing a role in graphic design, UI/UX design, or arts education. She is grateful for the opportunities and community she has found at Tufts. 

“SMFA feels like home to me and so many of my friends,” she says. “It gives you the resources to grow as an artist and everyone is so supportive. I’m very happy about my decision to come to Tufts.”