Isabelle Sigrid is an animator, printmaker, and graphic storyteller living and working in Asheville, North Carolina. Her work explores the relationship between personal and mythical storytelling, theater, and performance as they relate to sexuality, gender, and romance.
Isabelle grew up studying the comics artists of her hometown, Seattle, Washington. The humor, confessional nature, and frankness of underground comics have influenced her work across all mediums. As an undergraduate at Bard College, she studied animation with filmmaker Peter Hutton in 2013 and has produced animated graphic films since. While attending Bard, Isabelle focused on creating multi-media works that blend still and moving images, performance, and music into hybrid installations. Her thesis exhibition Radiance Obscurity featured large-scale lightboxes, animation, live music, and shadow puppet performances.
Isabelle worked as a muralist for the Freehand Hotel, New York, where she painted over forty unique murals in guest rooms and restaurants. In addition to working as an artist, Isabelle is an arts educator, who believes in the transformational power of quality arts education for youth. She teaches with numerous organizations in both Seattle and New York and also leads online courses for adults.
Photo by T Marsh
Education
BA in Studio Arts from Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, December 2017
Bard College Berlin, Berlin, Germany, August 2017
Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland, August 2014
Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, Washington, September 2013
Selected Exhibitions
2019 “Miracle Cure” PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, Oregon
2017 “Radiance Obscurity” Senior Thesis Solo Exhibition, Bard College, New York
2017 Queer Moving Image Review, film “Cyborgirl” selected for screening
2017 Queer Eye Rococo, Naming Gallery, Oakland, California
Commissioned Animation
2022 “Synesthesia” Music video for Deer Scout
2021 “Bound to You” Music Video for Ethan Cohn
2021 “Vivi” Animation for The Future Perfect Project
2020 “Much Like Myself” Music Video for Emma Jayne
2020 “I Saw You” Music Video animated for Humors
Selected Publications
2020 “This Young Earth” Comic selected for Rescue Comics by Desert Island Books
2018 “Radiance Obscurity” Two-page spread in Colombia’s journal of literature and art
2018 “Portraits of Powers” Illustration series for Rookie Magazine
2018 “Freehand Walls: 10 Artists Take Over” Promotional Magazine
2018 Vogue.com, Mural featured in photo essay on Freehand Hotel
2018 Man Repeller, Mural featured in “Iconic Black Sitcoms of the 90’s photoshoot at Freehand
2017 Placenta, Arts Magazine, Two-page illustration spread
2015 Slutwalk: Feminism, Activism and Media; Mendes, Kaity, Palgrave MacMillan, Cover art
Related Work and Teaching Experience
Teaching Artist
Coyote Central, Seattle, Washington 2019-2022
Arts Connection, New York, New York 2020-2022
Studio In A School, New York, New York 2021-2022
Muralist, Freehand Hotel, New York, New York 2017-2018
One of ten Bard College graduates selected to paint unique murals for the guest rooms of the historic George Washington Hotel, in Manhattan. Designed and executed over forty unique murals.
Research Assistant, Ellen Forney, Seattle, Washington 2013-2015
Assisted New York Times bestselling graphic novelist Ellen Forney with research and preparation for lectures, events, and classes