Nina Nichols is a large-scale sculptor, installation artist and environmentalist who lives in New York and Louisiana. Nina got her start in stop motion animation, psychic readings and theater and ran a Marionette Operetta company in New Orleans for 10 years before focusing on set design and conceptual art rooted in parade culture, post-humanism and the changing climate of the Deep South. Nina’s work focuses on the study of ecosystems and their relationship to human encroachment and the role of myth, fantasy and quantum states in our love and reverence for the natural world.

Project: Gentle Giants of the Bait Ball
Suspended in an eternal glide above The Bait Ball, this pair of life-sized, anatomically accurate manatees embodies the grace and vulnerability of Florida’s beloved marine mammals. Their textured bodies, adorned with delicate whiskers and a natural layer of algae, speak to their slow-moving, contemplative existence in Florida’s waterways—an ecosystem increasingly threatened by human activity.
Created by sculptor and environmental artist Nina Nichols, this piece bridges the worlds of science, myth, and conservation. Drawing from her background in set design, parade culture, and ecological study, Nichols breathes life into these creatures, transforming them into silent sentinels of Florida’s fragile aquatic habitats. Their presence invites viewers to reflect on the intersection of human impact and marine life, urging us to protect these gentle giants before they fade into memory.