Jane Dickson (b. 1952, Chicago) is known for her nostalgic views of a seedy New York and her participation in the city’s alternative art scene of the 1970s and ’80s. She employs unusual surfaces such as Astroturf, sandpaper, vinyl, and carpet to exploit the implicit references and the textural possibilities of material, creating iconic images that examine the constructed world and its psychological freight. Her surreal and often sexually transgressive environments pulse with movement, depicting subjects like Times Square, demolition derbies, carnivals, suburban neighborhoods, and busy highways.

After moving to New York in 1977, Dickson worked as a programmer for the iconic Times Square billboard project and with collectives Fashion Moda and Collaborative Projects Inc. As a participant in Colab’s iconic DIY “Times Square Show” and “Real Estate Show” of 1980, her work was seen alongside artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Fab 5 Freddy, Kenny Scharf, and Kiki Smith.