CARRIE ZIEGLER
International artist, speaker, & expert in collaborative art.
VIDEO - AVAILABILITY - ARTIST’S STATEMENT - CV/RESUME
Hello! I’m Carrie, and my mission is to inspire action.
Growing up in my practical German from Russia, North Dakotan family, I never dreamed I would become an artist. It took many years of slow starts, painful openings, failure, unfathomable success, and a complete undoing to fully embrace the artist and change-maker within.
This journey changed my life in ways I never imagined. I had to set aside fear, set aside judgement, and trust that the process of unfolding would take me to where I needed to be.
Today, courage, collaboration, connection, and creativity are my guiding principles.
Pulling from many years of experience as a naturalist and environmental educator, my work focuses on creating solutions to complex social and environmental issues. At the same time, my work ethic, deeply rooted in building and farming, grounds my practice. I continually push myself to learn and grow, especially where it is uncomfortable.
I am an artist, wife, mother, sister, daughter, collaborator, educator, activist, change-maker. All of this informs my work.
I just happen to make public art.
Want to collaborate?
Story-Telling Through Art
Art breaks down barriers and opens hearts. It can help people to hear something they could not otherwise hear before, or hear it in a new way. It gives participants a way to take action and process through difficult concepts/realities. In this video meet Carrie Ziegler and listen as she discusses her philosophy, and her vision for the future of collaborative art.
Availability
Available internationally, Carrie Ziegler is an artist, speaker, and an expert on collaborative art. Her work focuses on community engagement through large-scale, collaborative art installations and murals. Carrie’s primary focus is youth empowerment, environmental and social justice through the lens of collaborative art projects.
As a speaker, Carrie shares inspiring stories of the art’s creation at conferences and workshops, while bringing collaborative art directly to your event.
She also offers interior and exterior murals and sculptures for homes, businesses, government agencies, non-profits and educational institutions using a variety of styles, from decorative, to whimsical, to sophisticated.
Artist’s Statement
Carrie Ziegler: Artist, Speaker, and Community Engagement Expert
Carrie Ziegler harnesses the collective power of art to drive social and environmental transformation. Through her Art in Action initiatives, she collaborates with diverse entities—local governments, organizations, schools, and universities—to create multi-dimensional works that blend participant creativity with pressing societal issues. These projects inspire active engagement, bringing communities together to create lasting change.
Notable Projects & Impact:
The Chrysalis Project: Now a global initiative, The Chrysalis Project initially contributed to the passing of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan and a resolution declaring a Climate Emergency.
Plastic Whale Project: Played a pivotal role in the successful passing of a ban on single-use plastic bags in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and Thurston County, Washington.
Global Recognition:
Based in Olympia, Washington, Carrie is recognized internationally, bringing her impactful vision to global forums including Aotearoa (New Zealand), Ghana, France, Mexico and Canada. She empowers Artists and Change Makers to maximize their societal impact through art, inspiring a broader movement of change driven by creativity.
Expertise:
Carrie’s expertise extends to mentorship, project planning, fiscal strategies, organization leadership, and fostering creative collaborations, ensuring that every initiative is strategically executed for maximum impact.
Upcoming Book:
Complementing her hands-on work, Carrie is penning her inaugural book, Eclosion: An Artist’s Path to Power and Peace. In this work, she intertwines her memoir with a practical guide for unleashing personal and collective potential, offering a blueprint for transformative change through art—a light for a world in desperate need of inspiration.
