Obituaries

Martha Anne Hoskinson Nicoloff, 1928-2016

Tamara Nicoloff
Tuesday July 05, 2016 - 10:12:00 PM

Martha Anne Hoskinson Nicoloff of Berkeley died peacefully at her home on June 24th, 2016 at the age of 87. She was born on October 6th, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois to Edwin and Pauline Hoskinson. She often said that she lived on the South side of Chicago in a home shared with others during the Great Depression. She was the first and only one in the family to go to college. From an early age, she loved drawing and painting landscapes, houses and people. When she was 18, she was accepted into the Art Institute of Chicago. She received a B.A. in Fine Arts with honors from there in 1950 and then completed an M.F.A from the University of Southern California in 1952.  

In Chicago she met another artist named Alex Nicoloff. She was impressed with him and they married in 1952, moved to Berkeley, and had two daughters, Tamara and Natalya. They were a happy family who enjoyed camping and the alternative lifestyle Berkeley offered. In addition to continuing her drawing and painting, she also held art workshops for children while she raised her own two daughters. 

Martha loved her family dearly. She provided unwavering support to Alex as he experimented with many different art mediums (bronze sculptures, prism videos, telephone pole photographs…). Natalya inherited Martha's love for painting and she treasures the time they spent together painting landscapes around the Bay Area. Martha was Natalya's artistic inspiration. Tamara remembers how important it was that Martha helped her raise her granddaughter Nadia. Martha always enjoyed children, especially Nadia who was funny and creative. Tamara also always felt loved and supported by her mother as she navigated a career in the corporate world. Nadia will never forget how much her grandmother supported her decisions, even when her schooling took her to the East Coast for years. She remembers how her grandmother was always excited to see her and encouraged her travel the world, know about politics, and be creative. She always expressed pride in her granddaughter's achievements. 

Martha always found a way to continue her art. For years she collaborated with Alex in making prism sculptures and producing spectral videos. Together they learned how to get the best spectrum from prisms they made in their home. They enjoyed working together for hours at a time. For the community, Martha created many political drawings and cartoons for posters, newspapers and campaign materials. They always used humor to make a strong point. Her son-in-law, Tom Haw, calls her a “spitfire.” 

Martha leaves a long legacy of neighborhood activism in Berkeley which included many years of grassroots organizing to resist the rampant high-rise and densely populated housing. In 1966, she proposed to the City Council that the BART tube land, where Ohlone Park is now located, be made into a park instead of filling it with housing. One of her proudest accomplishments was co-authoring the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance (NPO) which was passed by voters in 1973. NPO gave neighborhoods more say over what was built. She ran as an independent for City Council in 1975 and then again in 1986. More recently, she was a long-term treasurer for the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA) and worked on initiatives to limit the heights of buildings. Martha remained politically interested until her last days. Tom Haw her son-in-law will never forget how conscious and concerned she was about the politics of her community and our country. He fondly remembers the lively conversations at the weekly Wednesday night dinners. 

Martha leaves behind her daughters, Tamara and Natalya, her granddaughter Nadia, and her son-in-law Tom. She played an important role in her family and her community. She will be missed. 

If you would like to honor Martha by contributing to a non-profit, please contact the Habitot Childrens Museum in downtown Berkeley, see http://www.habitot.org/museum/support.html