ABOUT | CONTACT — The Nest Project

CONTACT

dbaxphoto@gmail.com
(503) 309-3371

ABOUT

Founded by artist and photographer Debbie Baxter, The Nest Project is an interdisciplinary art initiative exploring vulnerability, human connection, and belonging through large-scale nest installations, portraiture, and storytelling.

What began in 2016 with a self-portrait inside the first nest Debbie built with her son, Zavier, has evolved into an internationally exhibited body of work. Over the past nine years, more than 50 human-sized nests have been constructed and over 400 individuals have participated, each invited to consider a single question: "What vulnerable part of yourself are you willing to hold?"

Through immersive installations, portraiture, and personal narratives, The Nest Project creates spaces where vulnerability becomes a shared human experience. The project's evolution was documented in the 2021 self-published book NEST. Since then, the work has expanded through collaborations with communities across the United States, including survivor-centered projects in Salem, Massachusetts, and a 2023 collaboration with formerly incarcerated men in New York City, culminating in an exhibition at the Weeksville Heritage Center.

The newest chapter, The Portland Nest, is being developed in partnership with the Washington County Police Department, the Family Justice Center of Washington County, and the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts. Created alongside survivors of domestic and sexual violence, the project continues The Nest Project's commitment to using art as a catalyst for reflection, conversation, and community connection. Supported by a successful Kickstarter campaign, The Portland Nest will be on view at The Reser from April 3–May 16, 2026.

The Nest Project has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally in Asia, and has been featured by Le Monde, VICE, and The Cut. Through photography, sculpture, and participatory installation, the work continues to examine what it means to be seen, held, and connected.

Marituly, 2019

Old Town Hall Exhibition View in Salem, Massachusetts, 2023

Sunny, 2019

OUR ETHOS + PROCESS

The Nest Project is rooted in community, creativity, and human connection. Through collaborative nest building, portraiture, and storytelling, participants are invited into a creative process that explores vulnerability, belonging, and what it means to feel seen.

Together, we build human-sized nests as symbols of home, safety, and refuge. Participants are welcome to engage in every stage of the process—from gathering natural materials and constructing the nest to being photographed within it. Along the way, photographs, written reflections, audio recordings, and conversations become part of an evolving body of work that honors individual experience while contributing to a shared visual narrative.

Rather than asking people to tell their stories, The Nest Project invites them to embody them. Each participant chooses how they wish to engage, allowing the process to unfold with autonomy, consent, and respect for personal boundaries. The resulting images become quiet acts of witnessing—moments where vulnerability is met with presence rather than judgment.

At its heart, The Nest Project is both an artistic practice and a collective ritual. Every nest is built by many hands, and every portrait reflects a relationship between artist, participant, and place. Through photography, sculpture, and community collaboration, the work reminds us that belonging is not something we find alone—it is something we create together.

Grounded in kindness, curiosity, and creative collaboration, The Nest Project continues to evolve as an invitation to slow down, connect with one another, and recognize our shared humanity through the language of art.