Erik Ruin is a Michigan-raised, Philadelphia-based printmaker, shadow puppeteer, and paper-cut artist, etc.,,  who has been lauded by the The New York Times for his “spell-binding cut-paper animations.” His work oscillates between the poles of apocalyptic anxieties and utopian yearnings, with an emphasis on empathy, transcendence and obsessive detail. He frequently works collaborativelycollaborates with musicians, theater performers, other artists, and activist campaigns. He is a founding member of the international Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative, and co-author of the book Paths Toward Utopia: Graphic Explorations of Everyday Anarchism (w/ Cindy Milstein, PM Press, 2012).