Triggs honors ‘Jane and Flint’ with mural

To the average onlooker, a chimpanzee bedroom undergoing renovation might look like little more than a set of bare walls. Nell Triggs saw it as a golden opportunity to express fond childhood memories through her professional career.

Nell, a Minnesota-based artist, recently made the two and a half hour flight from the Gopher State to spend three days painting a beautiful and vibrant mural inside the newly-renovated Dorothy Jo & Tilly Villa at Project Chimps.

“I started painting when I was very very young,” Nell said. “My grandmother, who helped raise me, really nurtured that and she’s a big, big animal lover. She would sneak me out of school to go to the zoo about once a month as a secret thing between her and me, which was just my favorite thing.”

Nell titled her mural “Jane and Flint” in honor of acclaimed primatologist Jane Goodall and Flint, a well-known chimp. Flint was the first chimpanzee infant born at Gombe Stream National Park after Jane arrived in 1960 to begin her renowned work. The two were captured in an iconic photograph as they extended their hands to touch one another. That image is replicated within Nell’s mural.

Honoring the work of Jane Goodall with ‘Jane and Flint’

“Flint was the first chimp that Jane saw as a baby in the wild and it helped her decide that she wanted to be a mother herself,” Nell said. “I love that correlation of their relationship and that photograph of them. Getting to paint that silhouette on the wall moved me so much.”

Nell did a hefty amount of homework prior to painting, looking up photos of sunsets in Gombe and even learning the color preferences of certain chimpanzees who have painted in the past. But much of her research and insights kept coming back to Goodall.

“The first thing I did when I found out I would have the opportunity to come down there and do this, I rewatched Jane’s documentary of her trip to Gombe,” Nell said. “I really wanted to touch on that because I don’t think we would’ve had any of the opportunities to have this kind of facility without what she did.”

Every artist has their own process, and Nell prefers to create as she goes. She said she likes to feel as if the art happens as organically and spontaneously as possible.

“When I do my murals I kind of focus on vibrant color, and silhouette is really important,” Nell said. “I kind of had the idea in the back of my mind, but it didn’t really come to fruition until we were there. I just kind of felt the space and the image kind of presented itself to me.”

From Minnesota to Miami and back again

Nell has been a full-time artist for the past two years. She left school in Minnesota in 2006 to chase her artistic dream in Miami, where she eventually met her wife, Lucy. The two returned to Minnesota in 2016.

Nell worked retail in Minneapolis for four years managing a glass gallery. While she jokes that the experience was akin to “free business school,” being a full-time artist was her dream. Her aunt first made her aware of the opportunity to paint a mural Project Chimps in 2020, but the timing didn’t work out.

One year later, Nell received an email from Project Chimps Executive Director Ali Crumpacker with “Let’s Go Bananas” in the subject line, and she knew exactly what that meant. This time around, the situation provided a rare opportunity for Lucy to work with Nell and help bring her vision to life.

“I would not have been able to execute that the way I dreamt it without Lucy,” Nell said. “I think that was just a dynamic experience for us both.”

An experience unlike any other

Nell said she felt like she grew as a person as she learned more about the chimps. While she is constantly searching for new facets of artwork, she feels the experience at Project Chimps offers enough diversity to repeat in the future if the opportunity presents itself.

“I wanted to do something for the chimps that was comforting,” Nell said. “The most fun opportunities are these that are so unique. I would love to come back.”

To keep up with Nell’s work, follow her on Instagram.

Interested in painting a mural for chimps? Our next round of applications is open!

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS

• Letter of intention to include:
  • Your background as an artist.
  • Why you want to paint for chimps.
  • The dates you would be available to work on the project (we are currently recruiting for a May – August timeline).
• One image of the sketch or idea board for your proposed mural.
• Up to 6 images of past work that represents your art style.
• For adults, current resume or artist bio.
• For youth, letter(s) of support from an art teacher and/or a parental guardian that can speak of their artist skills.

Email your application with all the above required attachments by May 31 to info@projectchimps.org