Sunny Allis

Artist / Creative (Individual)

Sunny Allis (they/them) is a trans/non-binary multimedia artist. Their artistic works focus on cultivating community and connection through different forms of play and storytelling. Sunny studied directing and design for theater at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and received their MFA from California Institute of the Arts in Integrated Media.Bringing a unique, dynamic ability to work across a variety of artistic disciplines, Sunny tells stories and guides audiences through new worlds, experiences, and emotions. They provide a fresh, original voice that is highly imaginative, intersectional, and centers joyful freedom. Their paintings, sculptures, immersive environments and animations have been featured in galleries both in solo and group exhibitions. They have created interactive public art installations that take people through imaginary worlds and immersive environments at Occidental College, the City of Santa Monica, and Kidspace Children’s Museum, among other organizations. Their animations have won awards internationally, including at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Madrid Experimental Film Festival, and the Linoleum Festival in Moscow.Sunny has worked for more than a decade as an arts educator in K-12 schools and with community organizations of all backgrounds, teaching classes in sculptural storytelling, world building, musical performance, recycled art assemblage, puppetry, and public art. They currently teach an art and activism class at Hampshire College. Sunny authored and illustrated a bilingual children’s book called Hooray, What A Day!/¡Viva,Qué Día!, which follows ten-year old non-binary Frankie and their best friend Jesse through a joyful day in their queer and colorful community. The book has been included in Gender Inclusive Classrooms' curriculum resource list of books for teachers who want to foster safe, welcoming gender-inclusive classrooms. Sunny is currently developing an inclusive, multimedia kid's TV show.

Videos:

Primary Discipline

Multi-Disciplinary

Additional Disciplines

Visual/Crafts - Illustration / Drawing
Visual/Crafts - Installation
Visual/Crafts - Mixed Media
Visual/Crafts - Painting

Activities

Creation of a Work of Art (Including Commissions)
Design Services
Public Art Projects (In Free, Public Spaces)
Community Arts
Exhibitions
Residency - Community
Arts Instruction / Lessons
Residency - In School
Residency - Production / Development

Awards

  • Massachusetts Cultural Council Individual Artist Grant
  • ValleyCreates Artists: Project Evolution Grant
  • Northampton Open Media Production Grant
  • National Endowment for the Arts Grant in collaboration with the Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • City of Santa Monica Public Art Grant
  • Global Arts Grant Recipient
  • City of Pasadena ArtNight Grant
  • The Puffin Foundation Grant
  • Pasadena Art Alliance Grant Recipient
  • Andrew W. Mellon Grant Recipient
  • CalArts Interdisciplinary Grant

Education

  • California Institute of the Arts: MFA, Integrated Media. 2014
  • New York University, Tisch School of the Arts: BFA, Theater Direction/Design. 2005

Additional Information

  • Year founded: 2014
  • Geographic Reach: State-wide, Surrounding States/Region, Nationally, City/Town-wide, County-wide, Surrounding Counties/Region, Internationally