Li Sumpter

Li Sumpter is a mythologist and multidisciplinary artist who applies strategies of worldbuilding and mythic design toward building better, more resilient communities of the future. Li’s creative research and collaborative design initiatives engage the art of survival and sustainability through diverse ecologies and immersive stories of change. Li is a cultural producer and eco-arts activist working through MythMedia Studios and the Escape Artist Initiative. Li holds an MA in Art and Humanities Education from NYU and an MA/Ph.D. in Mythological Studies and Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. She is a recipient of the 2018 Sundance Institute and Knight Alumni grant, a 3-time recipient of the Leeway Art and Change Grant, a 2020 recipient of the Leeway Transformation Award, a 2022 recipient of the Velocity Fund, a 2022 Afrofuturist-in-Residence with the Village of Arts and Humanities, a 2022 Leeway Media Artist x Activist-in-Residence with the Theatre in the X, a 2023 RAIR Artist-in-Residence, and a 2023 Bertha Artivist. In 2024 Li was awarded a Philadelphia Cultural Treasures grant for a family legacy project in collaboration with her father currently in development.