Few people have left their artistic mark on their workplace like Andre Nieves has—with a giant pineapple.
Currently working at Disney TVA, Nieves has more than 25 years of experience as a storyboard artist and model designer. He also remains the resident studio artist at Nickelodeon. The job has him painting murals and designing artwork for every corner of the campus. “If it’s creative, I’m going to do it,” he says. “And if it’s not creative, I’ll make it creative.”
When approached by Vicki Fenton and Russell Hicks to build an elaborate model of SpongeBob SquarePants’ iconic home, Nieves’ “never say no” philosophy inspired him to take the job. Despite his lack of carpentry experience, he hand built the structure, which now serves as a security booth for the studio. Standing at 12 ½ feet tall, it’s made from 150 layers of two-by-four redwood planks, intricately arranged in dodecahedrons, culminating in a brush of green fabric leaves on top.
Building this tropical fruit wasn’t just an artistic challenge for Nieves but also an opportunity to collaborate with his fellow workers. In this case, the security guards who would be calling it home helped provide feedback on his designs, to ensure the pineapple was both accurate to the spirit of the show and practical to work in. Although some were initially skeptical of working inside a pineapple under the sea, it’s now the most requested post on campus, and a lasting symbol of Nieves’ time at Nickelodeon.
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