Alma Sheppard-Matsuo                                                     illustrator         designer          puppeteer                                          asheppardmatsuo@gmail.com

Alma is a queer hāfu artist, visual storyteller, and educator from New York, currently based in Philadelphia. They received their BFA in traditional animation from the School of Visual Arts (NYC) in 2010. After graduation, they worked in the streets with radical puppetry groups like The People's Puppets, Bread & Puppet and Great Small Works on issues ranging from migrant rights to the debt crisis to environmental justice. This work developed their emphasis on visual narrative as a necessary and useful tool of advocacy in social justice. Alma’s illustration work has been featured in numerous publications, as well as in galleries and public spaces across the country.  After teaching visual art in NYC for years, they have relocated to Philadelphia where they are a middle school ELA teacher and continue making art.

Learn more at: https://bunnymermaid.tumblr.com/

 

 

Bunnymermaid is named after drawings of bunny-mermaids Alma would make as a 3 year old.  Their grandmother suggested it would be a good name for a studio.  This website is named in memory of her.

 

EDUCATION

Bread & Puppet Theater, apprenticeship, 2012  (Glover, VT)

School of Visual Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, 2010  (New York, NY)

 

 

EXHIBITIONS

Dec 2016      Printed Stories: Student Words, student show (teacher), Wilmington DE

Feb 2015      Seeing Stories, solo show at Littlefield, Brooklyn NY

Jan 2015       WinTour Variety Show, Pizza Speakeasy, New Orleans LA

Dec 2014      Open Call Salon Show, Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn NY

Nov 2014     Nha Minh Grand Opening, 485 Morgan Ave., Brooklyn NY

Sept 2014     Our Climate Projected: 15 Artists Respond to Climate Change, Brooklyn Roasting Co., NY

June 2014     Never Alone, online exhibition, http://neveraloneart.org/artworks/

Mar 2014      Unbound: A Tribute to Aaron Swartz, ThoughtWorks, NY

Dec 2012       ARTSTRIKE, online exhibition, http://artstrike.tumblr.com/

 Oct 2011       No Comment, pop-up exhibit in Financial District, NY

 

 

PUBLIC & COMMUNITY WORKS

July 2017       LifeLines Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA, collaborating artist

Feb 2016        Earth First! The Musical, Lake Worth FL, performer & stage manager

April 2015     Mask and Movement workshop, Visva-Bharati University, India

Dec 2014       Sun Wu Kung - Monkey King, Chinese Theatre Works, painter

Sept 2014      Decolonize Climate Justice, Free University, illustrator

July 2014      "Out of the Box and Over a Barrel", Waterfront Museum, Brooklyn NY, painter & puppeteer

June 2014     All In the Red (student movement organization), illustrator

May 2014      May Day Free Education, Free University, illustrator

2012 - 14        Aftselokhis Spectacle Committee, creates spectacular, razor-sharp Purim spiels, member

Oct 2013        Helix Queer Performance Network, designer

Nov 2012      Chang-Er Flies to the Moon, Chinese Theatre Works, painter

2011-13         The People's Puppets, member

 

 

PRINTED & PUBLISHED WORKS

l'Humanité [France] Sept 2014, Posters for Gaza Initiative (newspaper), contributor

 

Renson, Krempasky, and Schubert: Developing Trans* Competence, Jan 2014, illustrator

 

Tablet Magazine, multiple article illustrations:

             Rosenbaum, Judith: "But Mommy, Am I Going to Get Breast Cancer When I Grow Up", Oct 2013

             Schlanger, Margo: "In the Story of Jonah, an Urgent Lesson About Solitary Confinement", Sept 2013

             Glausiusz, Josie: "New Jewish Rituals Offer Comfort to Women Who Have Had Abortions", Aug 2013

 

Multiple theatrical posters:

            Goose Girl, directed by Raphael Mishler, Dec 2013

            Human Fruit Bowl, directed by Jesse D. Hill, May 2013

            Queerspawn, directed by Jesse Geiger, Jan 2013