Mike Perry (artist) facts for kids

Broad City titles

Mike Perry is an American artist, illustrator, and animator. He is well-known for winning a Primetime Emmy Award for his animation work. This award was for the TV show Broad City on Comedy Central. Mike's art often connects with popular culture. He works in many ways, including drawings, animations, paintings, and even books.

Early Life and Art Discovery

Mike Perry grew up near Kansas City, Missouri. When he was a young teenager, he found his love for art. His grandfather, who was a painter, gave him a box of oil paints. This gift helped Mike discover drawing and painting.

Mike went to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He graduated in 2003. He first studied art but later changed his major to Graphic Design. After college, he worked for Urban Outfitters for three years. He designed digital media and catalogs for them. In 2004, he moved to Brooklyn, and in 2006, he opened his own art studio.

Mike Perry's Art Career

Mike Perry is known for his art that comes from popular culture. He is great at working in many different art forms. He is an illustrator, a designer, a sculptor, an animator, and a painter. His art often uses bright colors and looks busy and playful. It can look like hand-drawn doodles, patterns, and cool lettering.

The Wondering Around Wandering Project

From 2004 to 2011, Mike's art was put into a book called Wondering Around Wandering. He wanted to make this book launch special. So, he created a huge community art space. It was a 7,000-square-foot warehouse in Crown Heights. This space was open for three months.

Mike wanted to create a place where his kind of art could be shared. He felt that art galleries did not always support his style. The project was run by volunteers. It had classes, workshops, and performances. Local artists also showed their work there. Over 700 people came to the opening event.

Teaching and Brand Work

Mike has taught art at several colleges. These include the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and Parsons School of Design. He often speaks at conferences about being a freelance artist. He has also worked as a creative director for big brands. Some of these include The New York Times, Facebook, Microsoft, and Nike. He designed sneakers for Nike and custom glasses for Duvel.

Art Exhibitions and Public Art

Since 2007, Mike Perry has shown his art in over forty exhibitions. These include both solo shows and group shows around the world. Some of his solo shows were in London and New York. In 2010, his show Lost in the Discovery of What Shapes the Mind was the first solo show for a former student at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Mike has also created many public art projects. These are art pieces for everyone to see. In Brooklyn in 2013, he made street art and a mural at a school. He also painted a mural in Crown Heights. This mural was a way to push back against changes in the neighborhood. In 2016, he made one of New York City's largest rooftop murals in Brooklyn. In 2019, his mural Wiggling Waves & Water Wanders went up at Pier 17 in New York.

Animation Work

Mike Perry became very well known for animating the opening titles for the TV show Broad City. He also animated a special part of the Mushrooms episode. At first, he almost said no to doing the titles. It was his first big animation project.

The creators of Broad City loved his work. They said the titles were a huge part of the show's identity. The Mushrooms episode animation earned Mike and his team an Emmy Award. This award was for Outstanding Motion Design.

Books and Magazines

Mike Perry has also created magazines. With his partner Anna Wolf, he started Untitled: (a fashion) Magazine in 2007. Later, in 2014, they launched Tidal. This magazine comes out twice a year and focuses on art and culture.

He has also published several art books. These include Pulled: A Catalog of Screen Printing. His book Wondering Around Wandering: Work-So-Far collects many of his past works. Mike also wrote his first solo book for children, called What If My Dog Had Thumbs?.

Curation Projects

Mike Perry has also worked as a curator. This means he helps organize and present art shows. In 2015, he created and curated a very long mural. It was 820 feet long. Nine other artists helped him finish it in just one day.

Awards and Recognition

Mike Perry has received many awards for his art.

• In 2004, he was chosen for Step Magazine's 30 under 30 list.
• In 2007, Computer Arts Projects Magazine called him a groundbreaking illustrator.
• In 2008, he was selected by the Art Directors Club for Young Guns 6. He also received Print Magazine's New Visual Artist award.
• In 2018, he won a Primetime Emmy Award. This was for Outstanding Motion Design as Animation Director. He won it for the Broad City Mushrooms episode.

Selected Work

Animation

• Behind Broad City - Animating the Mushrooms Episode, Comedy Central
• Ringo Starr, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots Sing Yellow Submarine (Classroom Instruments)

Magazines

• Tidal Magazine, Design Director

Film

• Bill Stumpf's Comfort Criteria, Herman Miller