John Dunivant – Painter and Multimedia Artist

John Dunivant is a painter and multimedia artist. He is best known for his incomparably immersive, entirely illegal Halloween masquerade, Theatre Bizarre.

Driven by his love of roadside attractions — odditoriums, mystery spots and the like — Dunivant recaptures the wonder and danger of childhood in those shabby cinderblock buildings that stand just off of the beaten path.

Early Life and Education

A painter and multimedia artist, john dunivant grew up in Detroit and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. He later received a Kresge Fellowship and is currently represented by Wasserman Projects in New York City.

Dunivant’s most significant work is Theatre Bizarre, an incomparably immersive, entirely illegal Halloween masquerade that began as a one-night event in 2000 and has since grown to become the largest immersive event of its kind in the world. It’s a twisted circus sideshow, haunted carnival, outsider art installation and utterly fantastic performance art piece all rolled into one.

Each year, the massive event comes to life in Detroit’s Masonic Temple. The party is free and open to the public, but many volunteers take days off from their day jobs to help out, sacrificing wages and sleep to keep the awe-inspiring spectacle running.

Professional Career

John Dunivant is a painter and multimedia artist working in and around Detroit, Michigan. He has a passion for roadside attractions and has created a series of paintings portraying myths from international folklore.

He is the founder of Theatre Bizarre, a semi-permanent amusement park that he has operated without permits or insurance for nearly a decade. The event’s imaginative vision – think carnival funhouse gone wrong – is realized through an army of volunteers, including dancers, musicians, fire breathers and even a few magicians.

Dunivant was the Galaxy’s first choice left back in 2009 and has been a major part of the team’s success, starting 27 games while playing 2,409 minutes, tying his career best for MLS starts and being named to the league’s Best XI.

Achievements and Honors

John Dunivant isn’t just the best dressed man at Theatre Bizarre, he also happens to be the most accomplished and successful of the group. A few years back, he was in the news for a few big hits and a plethora of smaller, but no less significant, successes. He’s a devoted collector of art, music, and books, and his favorite hobbies are golfing and billiards. He’s also been a devoted fan of Detroit’s motor city resurgence, and has a knack for finding ways to take the pulse of the masses. He’s also a skilled painter and multimedia artist, and is known for incorporating the latest technology into his projects. He’s an expert at the art of storytelling, and his latest multimedia creation, a virtual reality simulation of the legendary Detroit triumvirate of Motor City legends, is sure to be a hit.

Personal Life

John Dunivant is a painter and multimedia artist working in Detroit, Michigan. He has received a Kresge Fellowship in 2012 and has exhibited internationally. He is most known for Theatre Bizarre, an incomparably immersive, entirely illegal Halloween masquerade that was shut down by the city of Detroit in 2010.

The event grew from Dunivant’s love of roadside attractions, odditoriums and mystery spots – places that evoked childhood wonder and danger for him. He’s driven to recapture that same feeling through the darkened lens he employs in his paintings and sculptures.