Nola Pardi Proll was born in San Francisco to Italian-American parents. Her mother’s family included generations of master wood carvers. She studied modern dance with Walton Biggerstaff and then launched a solo dance career, performing in many cities around the world. Her interest in African culture was reflected in her dance choreography and in her self-taught wood carvings. Marriage and motherhood followed. Creating her own unique papier mache puppets, she was a professional puppeteer in the Bay Area for many years. In 1999, she enrolled in the Marble Arts Workshop in Pietrasanta, Italy, and has since sculpted marble at her studio in Danville, California. She has returned to Pietrasanta on many occasions to carve and relish the immersion in the ambiance devoted to sculpture. Her work has been featured in San Francisco’s Museo Italo Americano and in local galleries.