Original Chimp Art by Grace

Original art by Grace on a 9×12″ flat-panel canvas

Art is an enrichment activity offered to our residents. Some chimps enjoy it, while others prefer not to. The choice is theirs to make.

#0411-Grace

About the Artist

Grace was born on September 20, 1987, at The Coulston Foundation research lab in Alamogordo, NM, she entered the world to her mother Nova and father Spock. Separated from her mother at birth, she was raised in the laboratory nursery. At the age of four, she was transported across the country to Bioqual, a lab in Maryland, where she endured isolation and was infected with the Respiratory Syncytial Virus. During a procedure, she experienced respiratory arrest but managed to survive the ordeal.

Upon the completion of the protocol at Bioqual, she was returned to The Coulston Foundation. Little documentation exists regarding her time there, except for one notation indicating her habit of biting her nails to the point of bleeding.

In 2002, Save the Chimps intervened and rescued her. Today, she resides on a 3-acre island in Fort Pierce, FL, where she no longer indulges in nail-biting. Instead, she has transformed into a confident chimpanzee, asserting herself as the most powerful female in her group. Her closest companions include Sophie, Mariah, and Larry, while she takes on the role of a loving “auntie” to Melody. Often, she can be found basking in the sun on her island sanctuary.