Founder

Niki Lopez

About the founder:

Niki Lopez (she/her/they) is an award-winning Afro-Latina, queer interdisciplinary visual artist, curator, and social practitioner based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the founder of What’s Your Elephant™, a South Florida–based arts and education nonprofit that uses creative expression to address the unspoken. Her work centers art as a tool for reflection, dialogue, and transformation—creating spaces where people can explore identity, share untold stories, and connect more deeply with themselves and others.

As the founder of What’s Your Elephant™, Lopez leads a community-rooted arts movement that brings together exhibitions, interactive installations, and mindful art-making workshops to foster awareness, inclusion, and social impact. Through this work, she creates accessible, culturally responsive spaces that invite individuals and communities to transform vulnerability into visibility and connection into collective care.

With nearly two decades of experience, Lopez has curated and produced large-scale exhibitions and cultural programs across South Florida, collaborating with nonprofits, government agencies, and community organizations. Her work integrates visual art, performance, storytelling, and civic engagement—positioning her as a cultural programmer and creative producer working at the intersection of art, wellness, and social justice.

Her signature mask-making practice reflects themes of identity, spirituality, ancestral connection, and personal transformation, and has become a cornerstone of her workshops and public programming. These experiences are designed to support self-expression, mindfulness, and community connection for participants of all backgrounds.

Lopez’s work has been recognized with honors including the 2025 Nguzo Saba Award for Kuumba (Creativity), the 2024 Commitment to a Cause Philanthropy Award from Our Fund Foundation, the 2023 Pioneer of the Year Award (BLACC + SPARK), and recognition by the Broward County Commission on the Status of Women. She was also named a 2025 finalist for 211 Broward’s Best Arts Nonprofit of the Year.

In addition to her nonprofit work, Lopez is the founder and creative director of Niki Lopez Creative, a mission-driven agency specializing in cultural programming, community engagement, and impact-driven creative strategy. She is also the host of The Circle, a platform sharing stories of creatives, activists, and community leaders.

Through all of her work, Niki Lopez continues to build spaces where creativity becomes a pathway to healing, awareness, and collective care—centering marginalized voices, fostering dialogue, and using art as a catalyst for meaningful social change.

Explore more at nikilopez.art

Follow on Instagram: @nikilopez19
What’s Your Elephant™: @whatsyourelephant

Press: nikilopez.art/press