Carol Bradbury is a Kansas-based visual artist, designer, and community-engaged practitioner with more than 30 years of experience weaving art, story, and creative presence into places and learning environments. Trained at the Kansas City Art Institute and the University of Kansas, Bradbury has worked as both a professional designer for national and international clients and as the founder of Bloomerang — a practice dedicated to collaborative artmaking, placemaking, and storytelling that celebrates community connection. (AN OVERVIEW OF BLOOMRANG is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpmoc-vlSr4.) Bradbury’s approach is deeply informed by five years spent in Zurich studying the work of Carl Jung, where she explored symbolism, archetypal imagery, and the role of imagination in human development. She has also worked extensively in collaboration with internationally known Jungian analyst and author Jean Shinoda Bolen, further shaping her understanding of narrative, inner wisdom, and collective meaning-making. These influences inform a facilitation style that emphasizes curiosity, attentive listening, and creative reflection rather than technical skill alone. Through her work, Bradbury partners with students, educators, and community members to gather personal stories, symbols, and visual contributions and translate them into lasting works such as main street banners, interior and exterior signage, and site-specific installations. Her projects help communities see themselves reflected in shared spaces — creating a sense of identity that carries color, joy, and belonging. Her work has been commissioned by schools, cities, and civic organizations throughout Kansas and beyond.

Carol is a dynamic workshop leader and speaker, passionate about how the arts transform us and create community connection. Each project is tailored to fit your school and/or community’s unique circumstances and integration needs. The artist’s wide experience as both fine artist and brand/designer make her a great resource if you’re looking to address community identity on a bigger scale.

1. BLOOMERANG PLACEMAKING FOR CLASSROOMS AND COMMUNITIES. Bloomerang is community-based art at its best. The collaborative workshops are designed to be accessible and meaningful for participants of all ages and experience levels. Bradbury gathers marks, words, and visual gestures from participants and, much like a musician sampling sound, translates these contributions into cohesive visual works. The resulting projects may include main street banners, bespoke interior and exterior signage, and signature artworks—such as glass wall installations or column wraps—that create a strong sense of identity and reflect the power and beauty of a community.

SEE HOW IT TURNED OUT FOR QUINCY ELEMENTARY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7IC8lsAirY

PIENSE EN GRANDE. La escala no es un problema. Los diseños de Bloomerang pueden adaptarse al vidrio, al mosaico de azulejos, a la luz, a la tela, al esmalte, a los materiales de señalización y, gracias a la tecnología, a casi cualquier cosa que se le ocurra. Vidrio arquitectónico, paredes, señalización exterior e interior, escaleras, envolturas de columnas, envolturas de vehículos, papel pintado, tela de tapicería y mucho más. Deje volar su imaginación.

2. ANIMAL WISDOM WORKSHOPS AND CIRCLES. Designed as a 45-60 minute activity, the Animal Wisdom Workshops and Circles offer participants of all ages a welcoming pathway to recognize that their own inner wisdom is close at hand. Through guided activities, participants explore how moments of synchronicity can help draw attention to what is already present and meaningful in their lives. Animal characteristics—such as movement, behavior, adaptability, and relationship to environment—serve as accessible starting points for creative exploration and conversation, guiding participants toward insights that feel personally resonant and true.

WATCH HOW A LEADERSHIP KANSAS CLASS USES ART TO CELEBRATE ITS YEAR LONG TRAINING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX8C6NlttPo These workshops emphasize curiosity, listening, and shared exploration rather than technical skill, allowing participants to engage at their own comfort level. Animal Wisdom programs can stand alone or be integrated into broader educational or community initiatives. Sessions may culminate in individual artworks, small-group reflections, or shared visual displays that reflect collective themes and insights. Animal Wisdom programs are well suited for classrooms and youth programs, as well as team-building sessions and after-hours events that foster connection, reflection, and creative fun.

1. BLOOMERANG fees depend on the length of the workshop/residency, the number of participants and goal of the project. Meetings to define the goals of the project and material costs are included. We’ll work together to integrate the project into your existing curriculum or unique need. Workshop and Design Fees for interior or exterior signage, and interior architectural wall and environmental graphics begin at $7500 and depend on scope of work. Matching grant funds are a good fit for these projects. Let’s talk about your budget and see what we can do. All materials are included.
2. ANIMAL WISDOM Workshops begin at $50/person, with a minimum of 12 participants. Up to 40 people can easily be accommodated. All materials are supplied to create gorgeous 8.5×11″ black and gold images on vellum to take home. All art-making materials are included but if you want to add a finishing touch, add an easy to drop-in black frame for just $7 each. 3. Travel, mileage, lodging, and per diem are calculated based on current federal government rates. Engagements requiring extended travel, travel time exceeding one (1) hour one-way may be billed at $75 per hour, in addition to mileage, lodging, and per diem.

ARTIST’S TALK. A 30-minute visual presentation on the upcoming project so community members can get on-board and have their questions answered. Sometimes this leads to the project expanding to connect the community in unexpected visual ways.

Arts Integrated Workshops and Installations for Schools and Communities. Each of Carol’s workshops have a social emotional learning component to help students, teachers and administrators understand how an arts integrated curriculum fosters the ability to perceive the world in new ways, connecting patterns, and turning fresh ideas into reality. Since creativity is the number one soft skill that employers seek, modeling alternative ways of knowing is essential for the success of our next generation. #1: Bloomerang projects are conceptualized and designed in advance with set project goals with school staff input and involvement. Participants are engaged in the project from concept (brainstorming/themes) to unveiling. Projects can be scaled for a single day workshop or designed in a series for multiple engagements, depending on the goals of the organization and end result required. The signature Bloomerang art experience gives students an in-depth experience of collaboration; how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and how art, like life itself, is in constant flow and flux and always changing. The final installations are reminders that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves and have the power to impact our community in ways that lead to change through self-perception and self-discovery. #2: Animal Wisdom Workshops teach students how being in relationship to an animal’s wisdom can teach them to creatively respond to emotional challenges and take back their power in a healthy way.