Cricket Desmarais is a multi-media artist with a focus on dance, choreography, poetry, performance, encaustic painting, & photography which she often blends together for live & large-scale installation pieces. Most of her art-making efforts generally begin as a big particular that give way to a blend of improvisation & Wabi-sabi— a Japanese worldview that centers on three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, & nothing is perfect.

Cricket’s current work in all genres explores the desire to bring intamicy, order, & space to the narratives of the macro & micro of the island’s flora, fauna, & marine life while also serving as a steward for these important resources.

“While making art that is expressive of my personal narratives merits a place in my efforts, I also feel it is my duty to not only make things that are aesthetically pleasing for myself & others but to give meaning to who we are & where we come from, & to reveal or reflect a cultural narrative or scientific truth that might otherwise go unnoticed. In my opinion, great art makes the viewer take pause & consider their values, their history, & what their part may be in the greater whole. If my art can promote commentary & humanize a subect &/or its surrounding environment, I’ve done my work,” she says.

Cricket is currently a Bachelor of Science in Marine Resource Management student at the College of the Florida Keys & previously received a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing/Poetry with Dance Education studies from New York University & a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of New Hampshire. Her visual art has been exhibited in group & solo shows in Key West & New York City. & she is the recipient of many grants & awards, including a New York Times Fellowship, The Key West Writer’s Guild Award, & The Key West Literary Seminar Liz Lear Scholarship Award. She lives in Key West, Florida, with her 2 daughters, 2 cats, & dog.

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Hometown: Miami/Manchester, NH

& Current Location: Key West

Favorite Color: Slate blue

Why I Dance: Because it is holy & true & how I best pray.

Motto/Mantra/Favorite Quote: Love is the answer

photo: Make\Shift on White Street Pier, made possible thanks to The Anne McKee Artists Fund & The Florida Keys Council of the Arts