I like to make art that is generous, and accessible to everyone: parade banners, masks and hand-lettered signs, t-shirts, posters, illustrated books, stories, comics, cards, prints, photos and videos, puppet shows, carnivals and festivals, with plain language, vivid colors and charming pictures. I like to run workshops to teach people to make their own art and participate in parades and festivals, and I like to create banners and parades and invite people of all ages to join in, and to make their own things or add their own voices to be part of something bigger. I look to folklore traditions for ideas. I ask scientists for information. I look for the unravelled connections between. I like to make art that asks questions, pushes for justice, shares truth, and advocates for the ecology of our one Earth home. I invite you to think of me and call on Wonderland Spectacle Co. when you have a hidden phenomenon that needs seeing, and an unfathomable injustice that needs naming and changing, or a beautiful but perhaps neglected unknown that needs celebration.

Kari Percival

I like to make art that is generous, and accessible to everyone: parade banners, masks and hand-lettered signs, t-shirts, posters, illustrated books, stories, comics, cards, prints, photos and videos, puppet shows, carnivals and festivals, with plain language, vivid colors and charming pictures. I like to run workshops to teach people to make their own art and participate in parades and festivals, and I like to create banners and parades and invite people of all ages to join in, and to make their own things or add their own voices to be part of something bigger. I look to folklore traditions for ideas. I ask scientists for information. I look for the unravelled connections between. I like to make art that asks questions, pushes for justice, shares truth, and advocates for the ecology of our one Earth home. I invite you to think of me and call on Wonderland Spectacle Co. when you have a hidden phenomenon that needs seeing, and an unfathomable injustice that needs naming and changing, or a beautiful but perhaps neglected unknown that needs celebration.

Available to hire

I like to make art that is generous, and accessible to everyone: parade banners, masks and hand-lettered signs, t-shirts, posters, illustrated books, stories, comics, cards, prints, photos and videos, puppet shows, carnivals and festivals, with plain language, vivid colors and charming pictures. I like to run workshops to teach people to make their own art and participate in parades and festivals, and I like to create banners and parades and invite people of all ages to join in, and to make their own things or add their own voices to be part of something bigger.

I look to folklore traditions for ideas. I ask scientists for information. I look for the unravelled connections between. I like to make art that asks questions, pushes for justice, shares truth, and advocates for the ecology of our one Earth home. I invite you to think of me and call on Wonderland Spectacle Co. when you have a hidden phenomenon that needs seeing, and an unfathomable injustice that needs naming and changing, or a beautiful but perhaps neglected unknown that needs celebration.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Artist in Residence at Arts Arlington
January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2023
Illuminated visual campaigns for local environmental and climate organizations; created public art assets.
Art Teacher at Apollo Theater Lab
January 1, 2019 - January 1, 2020
Taught children 5-12 drawing, painting, and papermache sculpture projects.
Art Workshop Leader at Wonderland Spectacle Co.
January 1, 2015 - Present
Leads family puppet shows and spectacle art workshops at local libraries and community organizations. Develops puppet animations, demonstrates crafts, does research and scouts locations for art and nature videos. Works with community environmental organizations such as Charles River Watershed Association.
Art Teacher at Education Stations After School Program
January 1, 2011 - January 1, 2013
Provided after-school art instruction as part of the Education Stations program.
Science Teacher at Boston Adult Technical Academy
January 1, 2007 - January 1, 2009
Science teacher serving Roxbury students; integrated technology and hands-on labs.
Science Teacher at The Harbor School
January 1, 2006 - January 1, 2007
Science teacher for grades 7; introduced project-based learning and field experiences.
Science Teacher at Rockport Middle and High Schools
January 1, 2000 - January 1, 2006
Science teacher, curriculum coordination, field trips and data collection; community service learning and outreach.

Education

Masters of Environmental Science and Science Teaching at Antioch New England
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2001
Bachelor of Fine Arts at School of the Art Institute of Chicago
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 1994

Qualifications

Ezra Jack Keats Award for Writer
January 1, 2023 - January 1, 2023
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
January 1, 2024 - January 1, 2024
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Blue Ribbon Selection
January 1, 2023 - January 1, 2025
CLEL Bell Award
January 1, 2023 - July 5, 2026
American Library Association Notable List
January 1, 2023 - July 5, 2026
Production of the Year Award, Urban Media Arts (UMA)
January 1, 2021 - January 1, 2021
Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants
January 1, 2012 - January 1, 2021
Artist-in-Residence, Arts Arlington, Arlington MA
January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2023

Industry Experience

Education, Media & Entertainment, Non-Profit Organization