With a background in Sculpture and Dance as well as a love for the creature world, Annie Hickman created a number of mostly one-woman shows which she has performed world wide at theatres, festivals, schools, museums, and botanical gardens for more than 25 years.

After earning a degree in sculpture from the University of Illinois, Annie received the Creative and Performing Arts Fellowship from her Art Department. She moved to New York to work for master artist Marisol. Soon she had her first art exhibit at the Razor Gallery entitled "Houses for Live Insects." Annie's vision stretched to the dance world and she studied ballet, jazz, tap, acrobatics, singing, and acting. Becoming interested in costume design, she recognized a desire to create sculptural costumes and move in her own creations.... creating a transforming and complete art form.

Annie designed costumes and performed for the original corporate company in New York - Le Clique, worked for a summer making costumes for Henson Associates on Sesame Street Live, and designed and built costumes for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and for Off-Broadway plays. Her first one-woman show, “The All American Bug Show”, took her across the country and as far as Australia and Japan. Together with her husband she has created other performances that have taken them to France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bali, and China.

When Annie was pregnant with her son Ozzie (now 15 years old), she needed to find a nontoxic material to create her costume head pieces. Previously she used toxic glues for her foam constructions. She took a two-hour workshop in basketry and asked the teacher if she could turn her basket into a bug head. The teacher laughed (but didn’t say “No!”) and Annie began making her headpieces using this organic, natural method. A number of years later she was asked to be the keynote speaker at a national basketry conference. Her current performance, WEAVING THE WILD, evolved from that presentation

"Whether you play before audiences of children, adults or any combination they are spellbound, charmed and completely in love with you and your creativity."
The National Theatre, Washington, DC

"The costumes were simply breath taking, the dance superb and the program is packed with wonderful educational material."
Rochester Museum and Science Center, NY

"Your presentation was by far one of the most unique, colorful and enjoyable productions ever presented at the Children's Museum."
The Utica Children's Museum, NY

"Your imaginative performance not only delights the children, but educates them as well."
Wayne County Council for the Arts, NY

"...what places her in a unique area of children's entertainment and education is her uncanny ability to design, construct and enter/exit a wide variety of very large costumes that are so beautifully made. She spares no effort or expense to deliver each insect in its own special characteristics to the enthralled applause of all."
Huntington Arts Council, NY

"Like the hundreds of children at the festival, I was mesmerized by Annie's costume characters, particularly the lizard and the praying mantis."
The Richmond Children's Festival, VA

"She touches her audiences in ways most of them have never been touched before in a performance situation. They leave the performance space glowing because of what Annie has done and how she has done it. What Annie does is always entertaining, but it is much more than that: it is a kind of healing art."
Artpark, NY

"Everybody, young and old, was enthralled by your artful creatures. Your insect costumes...are living sculptures."
Wayne County Council for the Arts, NY

"Every school child in America should have the opportunity to touch kindred spirits with Annie Hickman --- it is a moment that they will never forget."
Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts, NY

THEATRES, MUSEUMS, & ART CENTERS:
National Arts Center, Singapore
B Levitt Pavillion, Westport CT
The Hillstead Museum, Farmington CT
The Bruce Museum, Greenwich CT
Museum & Nature Center, Stamford CT
Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury CT
National Theatre, Washington DC
Indianapolis Children's Museum, Indianapolis IN
Detroit Institute for the Arts, Detroit MI
Kean College, Union NJ
The Morris Museum, Morristown NJ
Lincoln Center Out of Doors, 3rd St. Music School, New York City, NY
Earlville Opera House, Earlville NY
Bethlehem Center Children's Theatre, Delmar NY
Heckshire Park Amphitheatre, Huntington NY
La Guardia Community College Theatre, Queens, NY
Art Park, Lewiston NY
Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester NY
Ticonderoga Festival Guild, Inc., Ticonderoga NY
Adirondack Center for the Arts, Blue Mountain Lake NY
Howland Cultural Center, Howland NY
Kirkland Arts Center, Clinton NY
Wayne County Arts Council, Leon NY
Children's Museum, Utica NY
Brooklyn Children's Museum, Brooklyn NY
Staten Island Children's Museum, Staten Island NY

TOURS:
Japan Tour for Seibu Department Store
Australia Tour: Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane

COSTUME DESIGN:
Muppets Sesame Street Live, Construction
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Off-Broadway - Mowgli, directed by Tom O'Horgan
Le Clique - sculptural costume design for dance productions

EDUCATION:
BFA in sculpture from University of Illinois
Creative and Performing Arts Fellowship for graduate work - University of Illinois

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