On May 29th at the Nest Gallery, we held a very special AIRIE Asks series that was one for the books! Our May Fellow, Gal Nissim, was joined in conversation with John Tigertail. Tigertail is a Miccosukee Community member who owns Tigertail Airboat Tours that also works closely with Love the Everglades Movement, one of our essential community partners. From the Florida Everglades, Tigertail is a fisherman and community volunteer for the Everglades Study Missions.

They discussed how art can change the way we view the unknown, providing specific attention to animals in the wild. John spoke to the importance of this ecosystem in particular and how growing up, working, and evolving in the Everglades can teach us how to live safely and respectfully with the wild.

Gal Nissim is an Israel-born, New York-based, interdisciplinary artist and researcher who investigates human-animal interactions. Nissim's work has been exhibited at the New Museum, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Time Square, Pioneer Works, Central Park, New York Hall of Science, Artport Tel Aviv in Public Space, Science Gallery Detroit, GStreamer Conference (Berlin), among others.

Photos courtesy of Ferhat Turan Photography