Hailey Schumacher

Hailey Schumacher (b. 2002) is a Milford, NJ based artist whose illustrations reimagine iconic cartoon characters, like SpongeBob SquarePants, as humans. When asked about her practice, Schumacher resists saying anything too precious. To her, the identities of her figures and the intentions behind them feel self-evident. “I’ve done this for a lot of years. I like to make human versions of cartoon characters. Except for that one, that one is me.” She gestures toward a wide-eyed figure with an uncertain expression, dressed in a fluorescent pink shirt and glasses slipping down her nose, an ensemble Hailey herself often wears in the studio.

Each transformation reveals unexpected dimensions in these familiar characters: vulnerabilities, hesitations, and inner lives unseen in their TV narratives. The world Schumacher builds in her drawings holds real emotions, conflicts, and ambitions, and she places herself squarely in it. “I drew myself kind of chubby because, well, I’m kind of chubby too.” Her figures feel tender, nervous, and anxious, not just because of their altered bodies but because of the emotional weight they carry.