_______________________________________________________________________✶ HEATHER DAWN SPARKS ✶
_______________________________________________________________________EDUCATION
2005-2008 BFA, Emily Carr University of Art & Design, Vancouver, BC
2005 International Exchange, Seoul Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea
2003-2005 Visual Arts Degree, Malaspina University, Nanaimo BC
FEATURES AND AWARDS
2026-2022 ArtWA Public Artist Roster
2023 Mass Culture Artist Talk, Shifting Arts Governance through Biomimicry
2022 Greater Seattle Business Association, Ready for Business Grant Recipient
2022 Artist Feature, Present Movement: Performing Art Documentary, Vancouver BC
2021 Artist Trust, WA Artist Grant
2021 PATH, Performing Artist Grant
2019 Artist Feature, Rural, SLAG Magazine, Shenandoah Valley, VA
2018 Grants for Artist Projects (GAP) Award, WA Artist Trust
2016 Artist talk, Roundhouse Radio, Vancouver BC
2016 Adbusters Magazine, Photography feature
2015 Grant Recipient, Burning Man Global Arts Grant
2015 Grant Recipient, Kapow! Place-making, Sustainable Connections, Bellingham WA
2015 Keynote Speaker, PechaKucha, Bellingham WA
2015 Artist Interview, Maverick Wisdom, Vancouver BC
2014 Keynote Speaker, Creative Mornings, Vancouver BC
2013 Grant Recipient, BC Creative Communities
2013 Artist Talk, University of British Columbia & Community Arts Council, Vancouver, BC
2012 Artist in Residency, Penasco Theatre, Penasco NM
EXHIBITIONS
2023-2022 13 Moons, Children of the Setting Sun, Lummi Nation
13 Hand cut paper on lightbox stop motion animations
Lummi and Swinomish Tribe led school curriculum
2023-2018 PDX Winter Light Festival, Portland OR
Public light art installations
2022 Lantern City, Asian-Canadian Special Events Association, Vancouver BC
Public light art installation celebrating the Lunar New Year
2022 Theater Bizarre, Detroit, MI
Immersive Set Design in a 1000 room Masonic Temple
2022 Canopy Art and Iron, Bellingham, WA
Feature Sculpture Artist
2022 Woodstove Festival, Cumberland BC
Shadow and light set design
2022 Ma, Yochu Theater, Vancouver BC
Cut paper and light live performance art
2022 Shine on Seattle, Seattle WA
Light based window display, reviving empty storefronts in Belltown
2022-2021 Port Angeles Fine Art Center, Port Angeles, WA
Outdoor sculpture garden, light based installation
2022-2021 Wintertide, Port Angeles Fine Art Center, Port Angeles, WA
Interactive shadow installation
2022-2019 Nutcracker, Opus Performing Arts, Mount Baker Theater, Bellingham WA
Ballet performance w/ live shadow & light design
2022-2019 Tiny Lights Festival, Ymir BC
Shadow and light set design
2022-2019 Luna Fest, Revelstoke, BC
Site specific digital murals, Interactive light based installations
2022-2011 Vancouver International Children’s Festival
Interactive installations
2022-2011 Winter Solstice Lantern Festival, Vancouver BC
Interactive shadow installation
2021 Celebrate the Night, Pitt Meadows, BC
Interactive shadow installation
2021 Dreamland, Whitney Ann Fliss, France
Music Video, Hand cut paper stop motion animation
2021 Lusio Light Festival, Auburn WA
Interactive shadow installation
2021 The Cave, Primal Wound, Oakland CA
Music Video, Hand cut paper stop motion animation
2021 Old Whiteaker Firehouse, Eugene OR
Stage Design
2021 Kiki Dream Sequence, Aspandhand Glass Studios, Bellingham WA
Promotional Video, shadow & light media
2021 UpUpUp Inc., Circus Crane Truck Show, Touring
Crane truck set design
2021 Dandelion Organics, Bellingham WA
Mural and sign painting
2021 Lookout Arts Quarry, Bellingham WA
Studio mural
2020 Children of the Setting Sun & Bellingham Symphony, Mnt. Baker Theater
Live lighting design, Lummi Nation Theater
2020 One from the Heart, Children of the Setting Sun, Lummi Nation
Hand cut paper animations, live circus and shadow performances
2020 Tekera Foundation, Tekera Uganda,
Hand cut paper stop motion animation
2020 Beginnings, Children of the Setting Sun
Live lighting design, Lummi Nation Theater
2020 Vermillion Skies, Tell Adeline, Vancouver BC
Hand cut paper live lighting design
2020 Howlin, High Step Society, Eugene OR
Music Video, Hand cut paper stop motion animation
2020 DjKookum, Vancouver BC
VJ projections, hand cut paper stop motion animations
2020 Platform Festival, Harmonics Laboratory, Eugene, OR
Hand cut paper stop motion animations
2020 Street Scenes, C.Diab, Vancouver BC
Music Video, Hand cut paper stop motion animation
2020 House of the Rising Sun, Simon Bridgefoot
Music Video, Hand cut paper stop motion animation
2019 Coast Salish Dance Festival, Bellingham WA
Lummi Nation theater produced by Children of the Setting Sun Productions
Graphic design with Phillip Solomon, Lummi Nation
2019 Shadow String and Other Things, Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver BC
Interactive shadow installation
2019 Woodstove Festival, Cumberland BC
Shadow set design, live performance lighting
2019 Flotsum River Circus, Boat tour, OR, WA
Set design
2019 Yochu Theatre, Bass Coast & Shambhala Festival, Merritt / Nelson BC
2019 Habitats, Canada Tour
Shadow pop-up book set design
2019 Shadow String and Other Things, Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver BC
Interactive shadow installation
2019 Desert Hearts Festival, San Diego, CA
The Fwomb, Interactive kinetic art sculpture
2019 Perception, High Step Society, Gravitas Records, Eugene OR
Music video, live lighting design
2019 Redmond Winter Light Festival, Redmond WA
Interactive shadow installation
2019 Luna Festival, Ragmop Theatre, Revelstoke BC
Lighting/Production tech for “A Can of Worms” and “Hotel Vortruba”
2019 Luminata Light Festival, Seattle WA
Interactive shadow art installation
2019 Full Moon Festival, Gibsons BC
Interactive Shadow Art Installation
2019 Shambhala Music Festival, Nelson BC
Lighting Designer for Yochu Theatre, Roving Performance
2019 Dazzle Camo Tour Bus, High Step Society, Eugene OR
Lead Designer, Lead Painter
2019 Bass Coast Festival, Merritt BC
Interactive Shadow Art Installation
Lighting Designer for Yochu Theatre, Roving Performance
2019 Electric Lantern Festival, Bellingham WA
Illuminated sculptures
2019 High Step Society, Mcdonald Theater, Eugene OR
Lighting Designer
2019 Bellingham Arts and Music Festival, Bellingham WA
The Fwomb, Interactive Kinetic Art Sculpture
2019 Bellingham Puppet Festival, Bellingham WA
Lighting Designer for Déchets
2019 Neoglyphic Media Variety Hour, Old Whiteaker Firehouse
Lighting Designer
2019 Corvallis Experiments in Noise, Corvalis OR
Lighting Designer
2019 Love: A Fair of the Heart, Eugene OR
Stage Designer, Lighting Designer for High Step Society
2019 Flow State Summit, Bellingham WA
Lighting Designer
2019 Ink, Canada / USA tour
Lighting Designer
2019-2013 Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival, Vancouver BC
Finale shadow performance, created through workshops with youth
2019-2017 Artswells Festival of all Things Art, Wells BC
Shadow and light set design, hand cut paper stop motion animations
2019-2017 Ragmop Theatre, Luna Festival, Revelstoke BC
Lighting/Production tech for “A Can of Worms” and “Hotel Vortruba”
2019-2013 Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival, Vancouver BC
Shadow stage design and shadow theater production
2019-2012 Vancouver International Children’s Festival
Interactive shadow installation
2019-2011 Sh’bang! A Festival of Ideas, Bellingham WA
Event Production: Stage build and design, Artist Liaison, Graphic Design
Lighting Design, Visual Arts Coordinator, International Arts Coordinator
2018 Subatomic Pop Opera, Devon Moore, Canada tour
Shadow photography, media and lighting design
2018 24 Hour Performance Festival, Alternative Library, Bellingham WA
2018 Yochu Theatre, Copper Owl, Victoria BC
2018 Dubelevay Circus, Eugene OR
2018 Karla Mi Lugo, Headwaters Theater, Portland OR
2018 Solstice: The Longest Night, Maya Concept Co, Bellingham WA
2018 Hooves and Beak, Spanel Planetarium, Bellingham WA
2018 Richmond Maritime Festival, Richmond, BC
Interactive shadow installation
2018 The Magic Party, Vancouver BC
Interactive shadow installation
2017 Oregon Eclipse Festival, Big Summit Prairie, OR
The Fwomb, Interactive kinetic art sculpture
2017 Imagined Landscapes, Winterupption Festival, Vancouver BC
Interactive installation facilitator
2017 Falling Awake, Ragmop Theatre, Canada / USA tour
Set Design
2016 Red House, New Orleans, LA
Immersive set design and performance
2017 Kapow! Pop up Plaza, Bellingham WA
Interactive shadow installation
2016 Celebrate the Night, Maple Ridge, BC
Interactive shadow exhibit
2016 The Field Gathering, White Crow Farm, Winlaw BC
Set and lighting design
2016 The Currency of Belief, USA / Tel-Aviv Israel
Set and lighting design
2015 Lightcatcher Museum, Bellingham WA
Interactive shadow installation
2015 Transformational Puppetry, OSU Library Fund, Accra, Ghana
Workshop Lead for youth, large scale puppets, at OSU Public Libraries
2015 Emergency Circus, Syrian Refuge Camp, Nuremberg Germany
2014 Tin Horse, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens, Chinese Cultural Centre, Vancouver BC
2014 University of British Columbia and Community Arts Council of Vancouver
Facilitator of public tin smithing workshops, Tin Horse Sculpture
2014 Lululemon SeaWheeze Festival, Vancouver BC
100’ plasma cut wave sculpture
2014 Caldera Arts, Sisters OR
2014 / 2012 Hyatt Regency Hotel, Vancouver BC
Immersive light sculptures
2014 Transformation Projects, Rocky Mountaineer Station, Vancouver BC
2014-2011 Parade of Lost Souls, Vancouver BC
Immersive alley way set design
2013 Illuminaries Lantern Festival, Vancouver BC
2013 Sufi Journeys, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Vancouver BC
Textile and lantern set design
2012 Bicycle Arpeggio, Burning Man, Black Rock Desert, Nevada
Interactive kinetic sound sculptures
2012 Envision Festival, Costa Rica
Metal sculpture art
2012 Obstructions: A Place Called Whisper, Pi-Theatre, Vancouver BC
Immersive set design
2011 Hard Times Hit Parade, Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret, Vancouver BC
Immersive set design
2010 Soon the Space Will Be Too Small, Cultch Theatre, Vancouver BC
Immersive set design
2010 Bobs and Lolo’s Musical Adventures, T.V. Series, Vancouver BC
Set design
2010 A Most Peculiar Machine, ArtStarts Artists In Classrooms, BC
2009 The Village Project, Dusty Flowerpot Co, Ukranian Hall, Vancouver BC
Immersive set design
2009 Dying City, Late Show Productions, Mount Pleasant, Vancouver BC
Set design
2009 The Listening Jar, Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret, Ukranian Hall, Vancouver BC
Immersive set design
SELECT BUILD AND DESIGN COMMISSIONS
2023 Tiny Home ADU, Bellingham WA
2021 Crescent Moon Recessed Lighting, David Wight Glass Studio, Bellingham WA
2021 Plasma Cut Fire Barrel, Camellia Nieh Clay Studio, Portland OR
2021 Dandelion Organics, Bellingham WA
Produce Processing Addition with Custom Built Doors
Shou Sugi Bon preserved deck
2020 Sculpted Ceiling, Creek Stone Studio, Bellingham WA
2020 Venetian Plaster Bathhouse, Lummi, WA
2019 Fiddlehead Tiny Homes, Bellingham WA
2018 Treehouse with Suspended Bridge and Multi-tiered Platforms
Design, Rigging and Engineer support by Sparks Designs
2017 Cedar Stage, 26’x 45’ Bellingham WA
2016 Glass Deck, David Wight Glass Arts, Bellingham WA
2016 “Fwomb”, Kinetic Tree Pod, Bellingham WA
2016 Sprinter Van Tiny Home Conversion, Seattle WA
2015 BoxBox, Portable Artist Studio, Box Truck Conversion, Bellingham WA
2014 The Cloud, Portable Tiny Home, Spark Design, Bellingham WA
2012 Circus Arts Dance Studio, Lookout Arts Quarry, Bellingham WA
Radiant heat, sprung floor, aerial rigged
PERFORMING ARTS
2023-2018 Yochu Theater, BC
2017 Gift Horse, Canada & USA tour
2016 Westward Ho's! Immersive Spaghetti Western Dinner Comedy, Bellingham WA
2015 Odds Are, Oregon Country Fair, Veneta OR
2015 Transformational Puppetry, OSU Library Fund, Accra, Ghana
2015 Emergency Circus, Syrian Refuge Camp, Nuremberg Germany
2013 Yipee Ki Yay Cabaret, New Orleans LA and Veneta OR
2013/2012 Shoestring Rocking Horse, Veneta OR
2013 New Old Time Chautauqua, WA & OR Tour
PERFORMANCE TRAINING
2021 Yochu Theater, Butoh Training, Vancouver BC
2019 Master Clown Class, Stefan Haves, Bellingham WA
2018 Water in the Desert, Butoh College, Haruko Crow Nishimura
2018 Bouffon Intensive, Nathaniel Justiniano of Naked Embire Bouffon Company
2018 ShadowBody, Butoh Intensive, Adam Koan
2016/2017 Deanna Fleysher, Naked Comedy
2016 Action Theatre Improvisational Training, Ruth Zaporah
2011 Creative Character Development and Personal Transformation through Clown,
David MacMurray Smith, Vancouver BC