As Ricky Rainbow Beard, I have dedicated much of my artistic life to the work I do for children and families through The Rainbow Beard Show. The ‘Show’ has an ethos of celebrating big feelings, nurturing curiosity, and caring for each other. Aesthetically, everything under the ‘Rainbow Beard’ is made of paper, cardboard, and crayon, or at least looks like it is. The puppetry and magic are see-through, and the overall color tone is bright. I personally illustrate and build much of the aesthetic world and collaborate with fun people who bring their unique talents and share a responsibility to make beautiful, sincere, and playful art. I have been focused on this project since 2016.

After graduating from RISD with a BFA in Apparel Design in 2005, I learned about performance and improvisational theater through my 8 years with Big Nazo. I learned about making playful experiences for kids through my 12 years with Hasbro as a Toy and Game Designer. And I learned about the daily practice that is art making through projects like Stitched Portraits, where I made one portrait drawn with a sewing machine every day for an entire year in 2012. I continue making these portraits today, having become a master of a style I invented. I’ve recorded music under the name Domestique, written and illustrated zines, made short films, and designed plush/puppets/and craft making workshops. I seek to include as many different types of craft as possible in my art making process.

I’ve been awarded grants and residences from the Rhode Island State Council of the Arts (RISCA), Providence Arts/Culture/Tourism (PVD ACT), New England Foundation of the Arts (NEFA), DESIGNxRI, 195 District Park, Lubec Community Outreach Center (LCOC), and New Bedford Art Museum (NBAM). I’ve also performed in theaters, arts organizations, libraries, and museums throughout the U.S. and Canada such as Wilbury Theatre, AS220, SPACE (Portland, ME), Detroit Institute of Art (DIA), RISD Museum, and many Public Libraries around New England and Los Angeles.