nest [ME nesten, fr. nest, n.]

1. to build or occupy a nest
2. to fit compactly together or within one another
3. to assemble in a group
4. to arrange so that the better bundles are exposed to view in a warehouse

(definition from Webster's Third New International Dictionary, 1986, Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica)

Founded in August 2002, Nest Arts began as an interdisciplinary non-profit arts organization dedicated to activating idle real-estate for artistic programming. Since moving to Los Angeles in the fall of 2004, Nest Arts has shifted its focus towards creating original performance and film/video work. As of October 2006, Nest Arts is the collective project of Adrienne Campbell-Holt, Cris Moris, and Erica Rice.

Nest Arts is committed to bringing art and performance to a diverse audience and therefore has presented a wide range of art and performance offerings. Significantly, nest does not exist in a building, or even in a particular neighborhood, but is a mobile organization. In fact, nest’s dual mission is to build communities through creating works of art and performance in unlikely locations while also consistently creating performance and film/video work that pushes boundaries and confronts social and political issues in transcendent, non-traditional ways.

Nest Arts aims to work collaboratively with communities already established in the neighborhood it is making a home in and to share the sense of action and ownership with the native community itself. By viewing vacant lots or empty warehouses as opportunities rather than eyesores or nostalgic reminders of a time gone by, nest’s goal is to encourage residents and artists alike to envision the space anew and in doing so improve not only the physical conditions and overall aesthetic but also endow the spaces with a sense of place and renewed identity.