Nathalie Simon is a Haitian American sculptor, photographer and jewelry maker currently based in New Orleans. As a child, her grandparents called her “Nathou” (pronounced na-too,) a nickname lovingly laden with memory and the milieu of the island: its golden light, the brown-green sea turtles of its coastal shoals, and the song of the many languages spoken.

Haiti’s spirituality and sense of place infuse the organic curves, surprising contrasts, and delicate details of Nathou’s ceramics, jewelry and photography. She returns to those early memories often, driven by her curiosity for the natural world. This innate sense of awe inspires her to create one-of-kind pieces that evoke the cultural rhythms of Haiti’s story and bestow her with sanctuary and focus as she pursues her other life passions in law and public policy.