Mark Nystrom is an artist, designer and educator whose work explores visualizations of complex information and includes drawings, installations, projections and screen-based projects.

Natural forces and data fuel his artistic practice. Hidden within them are patterns, forms and meaning ripe for extraction, analysis and interpretation. Like the translation of a text from one language to another, his work is a translation of information. His wind drawings, for example, are visual interpretations of wind conditions at a specific place for a certain period of time. Other projects include visual interpretations of carbon footprints and the news.

Nystrom’s work has been shown in Austin, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and other cities across the United States. He received a B.S. in Psychology from Virginia Tech and an M.F.A in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design where he was a two-time recipient of the Award of Excellence for outstanding work by a graduate student. He is currently a Professor of Graphic Design in the Department of Art at Appalachian State University.

Prior to joining the faculty at Appalachian, Nystrom was co-owner of a design studio in Virginia and an award winning photographer and art director for several universities. He lives in Boone, NC with his wife and two sons.