Keith Michael Johnson
Weatherpcardfront
45 Ann Mary Brown Drive
Warwick, RI 02888
(401) 781-6676
(800) 730-6676
email: RIBubbleGuy@yahoo.com

A bit about me:

 Since 1986, I have earned my living working as an artist. Libraries, schools, festivals, museums and other venues bring me in to perform one-man shows of my own creation. Eighty-five percent of the three hundred programs I present each year in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts are daytime cultural arts enrichment assemblies in elementary schools. I love my job.

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It’s important to support what teachers and librarians are striving to accomplish. Kids respond to my humorous and fresh approach to core subjects (math, science, reading, history). Because so many venues invite me back year after year, I know what I'm doing is successfully meeting the cultural arts needs of library patrons as well as students, teachers and administrators of schools. I work hard to artfully engage kids at their own level without trivializing content. That’s my style. From MAD ABOUT MATH to HATS OFF TO READING, each program is thoroughly researched to ensure solid content, and presented with confidence, humor, enthusiasm and theatricality. Adults enjoy them just as much as the kids. For more information about these shows, click here.
keith johnson bubbleartist.com

But why soap bubbles and why now?

At first it was the science that intrigued me: blending better solutions and inventing new tools and styles. It’s now grown into a passion to use these spherical wonders—from tiny, intricate geometric sculptures to VW Beetle sized behemoths that lumber through the air like dinosaurs—to stir the minds and imaginations of audiences.

Photo © Keith Johnson www.soapbubbleshow.com 2006 bubble show
Wash your hands or do the dishes and you’ll see bubbles. They’re associated with adult drudgery, also with simple, fleeting childhood memories. Yet, if an artist were to share with you the vast potential of these effervescent spheres, (outsize them, animate them unexpectedly, frame them with different colors, use them as structural building blocks, or juggle three bubbles with specially gloved hands) then you would be experiencing something surprising and new. Bubbles have an ethereal quality that stops people in their tracks. The art of soap bubbling lies in its capacity to dramatically illustrate the transformation of the mundane
popart
into the extraordinary.

In 2006, I became the first bubbler in America to receive a publicly funded arts grant to create a soap bubble show. Thanks to the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Rhode Island Legislature and private donors for their support.


Resume

PROFILE
A distinguished 20+ year, full-time career as an independent performing artist. Accomplished at script development, performance, audience management and building long-term client relationships. Background includes experience in strategic planning, creative thinking, and the development of new ideas.

EXPERIENCE
Keith Michael Johnson Educational Programs 1986-present
Owner/performer
Responsible for developing and performing programs based on educational framework and standards, including: developing scripts for six 50-minute programs, networking within school systems, creating props and visual aids. Supervise staff of 2 part-time office/technical assistants. Serving over 50,000 students annually with over 300 performances per year.
Currently in repertory: Wild About Weather, Amazing Americans, Mad About Math, Hats Off To Reading, Amazing Americans. To learn more about these shows visit: www.KeithMichaelJohnson.com.

In 2005 created www.soapbubbler.com, an extensive, non-commercial, online resource promoting soap bubble play, creativity and performance.

Selected as a Presenting Artist from 1993-2003 for the Bushnell Theatre’s nationally recognized Partners Program, which was formed to encourage intercultural competencies and increase literacy skills among diverse populations.

Chosen five times to participate on the touring roster for Rhode Island’s Office of Library Services (OLIS) Summer Reading tour, visiting 30 to 50 libraries per summer to encourage reading, library visits, and literacy.


KMJ Book Sales 1995-present, Owner/producer
Wrote three books and developed 8 videos focusing on skill/show development for solo performers. Developed sales outlets including major bookstores (Borders, Amazon and B&N), an Ebay store and niche retailers.

For more information about ordering my books and videos on Ebay, click here.


EDUCATION
B.A., Movement Theatre, Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI 1987
Bachelor of Fun Arts, Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Clown College, 1983


www.KeithMichaelJohnson.com
www.SoapBubbler.com
www.BubbleArtist.com