Little Nis — Thomas Dambo, Bernheim Forest
Thomas Dambo · reclaimed wood, 2019 · Olmsted Ponds (formerly Holly Pond), Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, Clermont, Kentucky, USA
Photo: as published on Street Art Utopia (Worth the Walk, 27 October 2026; first shown on 19 June 2025). The photographer and camera date are not recorded there. Artwork: Thomas Dambo.
Little Nis is a crouching wooden giant by the Danish artist Thomas Dambo, gazing at his reflection from the bank of Holly Pond in Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, Kentucky. He was the first of three Forest Giants that Bernheim commissioned for its 90th anniversary in 2019, with his mother Mama Loumari and his sister Little Elina further into the forest. Source Source Source Source Checked
Seen Jan 2026. Evidence date: 2026-01-17, when Frances Fendig photographed Little Nis for On the Record “in his usual spot, near the entrance of the park, watching over the lake”, and wrote that the giants were in great condition. Source Reported
💡 4 things to know
- Named after a babyLEO Weekly reported that Little Nis was named after a baby the artist’s friend had recently had. Dambo said the giants are named after people he knows. Source Reported
- Room for animalsHis nose and ears have hollow openings meant to encourage animals to move in, according to LEO Weekly. Source Reported
- The pond is part of the workDambo told LEO Weekly: “The pond was already there, but now I’ve done a piece bigger than the sculpture. It’s the entire pond plus the sculpture.” Bernheim later renamed Holly and Cedar Ponds the Olmsted Ponds, calling them a highlight “especially with the addition of Little Nis and his reflection.” Source Source Checked
- Expected to stay three yearsThe giants were expected to stay for at least three years. In January 2026 On the Record found them still in place and in great condition. Source Source Source Checked
📍 Where it is
Bank of the Olmsted Ponds (formerly Holly Pond), near the entrance of Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, Clermont, Kentucky, USA Source Source Source Source Checked
Map pin from OpenStreetMap’s Bernheim Visitor Center; LEO Weekly passed Little Nis at Holly Pond on the road toward it. We have not checked a Street View image of the giant, so the button opens a plain map.
🗓️ Sightings
- 201927 Feb
Courier Journal photo: under construction
- 20194 Mar
Insider Louisville: already in place at Holly Pond
- 201917 Mar
WHAS11: the Forest Giants have arrived
- 20195 Jun
Bernheim renames his pond the Olmsted Ponds
- 202617 Jan
Photographed in his usual spot by the lake
Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.
🗞️ In the sources
See Giants! 3 Rise at Bernheim Forest
“… named after a baby the artist’s friend recently had, sits approximately 12 feet tall”
How the magical larger-than-life trolls at Bernheim Forest came to life
“… has discovered his reflection in Holly Pond”
Giants of Bernheim
“Little Nis sits in his usual spot, near the entrance of the park, watching over the lake.”
✅ The facts
- Year
- 2019; under construction on 27 February and in place by 4 March 2019 Source Source Source Checked
- Commission
- Bernheim (the Isaac W. Bernheim Foundation), for its 90th anniversary Source Source Source Source Checked
- Exhibition
- Forest Giants in a Giant Forest, with Mama Loumari and Little Elina; Dambo’s poem While the Weather Got Better makes Isak Heartstone their father Source Source Source Checked
- Materials
- Reclaimed wood: pallets, fallen trees and discarded lumber (LEO Weekly); the Courier Journal adds bourbon barrel staves and Louisville Slugger scraps for the three giants Source Source Checked
🔗 Related
All sources & image credits
- thomasdambo.webflow.io — Thomas Dambo portfolio, #040 Little Nis
- bernheim.org — Insider Louisville article reposted by Bernheim, 4 March 2019
- bernheim.org — LEO Weekly article reposted by Bernheim, 6 March 2019
- bernheim.org — WHAS11 report reposted by Bernheim, 17 March 2019
- bernheim.org — Courier Journal article reposted by Bernheim, 21 March 2019 (photo by Pat McDonogh, 27 February 2019)
- bernheim.org — In the artist’s words, 15 April 2019
- bernheim.org — Cedar and Holly Ponds are now the Olmsted Ponds, 5 June 2019
- bernheim.org — Forest Giants in a Giant Forest (must-see page)
- ontherecordmag.com — On the Record, Frances Fendig, 20 January 2026 (photos 17 January)
- streetartutopia.com — 10 Giant Trolls Hiding in Forests, Lakes and Ruins, 19 June 2025 (the photo used here)
- streetartutopia.com — Worth the Walk (10 Photos), 27 October 2026
Photo: as published on Street Art Utopia (Worth the Walk, 27 October 2026; first shown on 19 June 2025). The photographer and camera date are not recorded there. Artwork: Thomas Dambo.
Last checked: 28 October 2026 · How we verify art