Hi, I'm Armistead.

I'm a visual storyteller, digital designer, nonprofit champion, family tech generalist, communications strategist, proud father, moonlighting superhero, and passionate gardener.

• Current director of communications at the NYC orchestra Metropolis Ensemble

• Former director of design at the American Museum of Natural History

• Director and showrunner at the online kids show “Mondays with Mé”

The Short Version

Currently: I lead communications and design strategy for Metropolis Ensemble, an enthusiastic digital-first music collective. I also run my own freelance design studio serving digital-native artists, nonprofits, and startups for the greater good, including the online kids show Mondays with Mé.

Previously: I produced digital communications for Trinity Grace Church, a local community based in Brooklyn, including Digital Lab (a kids show with over 350k views to date) and weekly live broadcasts.

Before that: I was director of design and educator at the American Museum of Natural History for thirteen years, creating digital experiences for millions of visitors; and a strategist at FiveStone, a creative agency in New York City.

The Long Version

What Keeps My Running:

I have a passion for storytelling for kids of all ages and creating opportunities for meaningful family connection across generations. You can often find me with a stack of picture books (novels are for grownups), binge watching the world’s best cartoons (Bluey, Puffin Rock, Tumble Leaf, Charlie and Lola), or getting dirt under my fingernails as I cultivate perennials and welcome local birds in my backyard.

And now a random list of refreshing things: oranges, outdoor showers, Jason Kottke, açai smoothies, moonlight, pad thai with lime, unexpected good news, strawberry ice cream, Mexican coke bottles, fresh cut grass, Pixar, sweet iced tea, crisp fall leaves, island cross breezes, and lemonade.

In Recent Years:

Currently, I lead communications and design strategy for Metropolis Ensemble, an enthusiastic digital-first music collective.

From 2018-2022, I was director of communications for Trinity Grace Church, a non-denominational Christian church in Brooklyn, leading through digital storytelling for kids and adults (with over 350k views and 800 subscribers to date), weekly online worship broadcast production, episodic children’s media, hospitality projects, marketing strategy, fundraising development, and office administration to serve a growing community across the neighborhoods of New York City.

I am also a freelance communications strategist, writer, and art director for Refresh, my own Brooklyn-based design studio. I partner with some incredible startups, artists, thought leaders, and nonprofits to provide digital-native design thinking, content development, social tactics, brand identity, and strategic vision for the greater good.

In Past Years:

Previously, I was a strategic associate at FiveStone, a creative agency in New York City that collaborates with innovative organizations around the world. I primarily worked alongside Matchbook Learning, a startup turning around America’s lowest performing schools; my role on the team provided a wide range of services, including narrative and social strategy, classroom user experience, digital content interaction, and professional development, and pedagogy design. My time in the FiveStone family was a masterclass in storytelling, strategy, purpose, and joy.

For my first thirteen years in the city, I was director of design and educator at the American Museum of Natural History, wearing many hats in the Museum with visual storytelling and generational learning at the heart. I grew up and learned how to be a professional in this incredible institution. I met my wife on the front steps, proposed to her in front of the planetarium, and now we bring our kids to see the dioramas.

Every day at the Museum, I walked alongside artists, explorers, poets, and magicians, leading the charge to build a foundation of design-centered experiences across the institution. We did it all together: digital platforms, signage systems, print marketing, app ecosystems, film festivals, online graduate courses, and interactive media for kids. Our intertwined goals were to inspire Museum visitors, families, schools, donors, and neighbors who walked in past the marble columns, and to help make the exhibitions and stories of scientific exploration and discovery come to life for a global audience. I often worked alongside the executive team, advising on and supporting major initiatives and special projects, including the Gilder Center, Explorer App, and several Hayden Planetarium shows.

Over my 20+ years in NYC, I have served as communications advisor for Metropolis Ensemble; founding board member of Global Playground, an educational nonprofit building interconnected schools and libraries around the world; and co-director of The Haven, a para-church network of creative professionals, fine artists, and performers across New York, London, and Los Angeles.

Growing Up:

I grew up in the Commonwealth of Virginia, where family’s ancestors made contributions to the founding of America’s democracy since arriving in the 1690s. Just ask me about the Battle of Baltimore in 1812 if you want to hear an incredible story…

I attended the College of William and Mary to study geology (and art history), exploring both the Tidewater, Blue Ridge Mountains, and American West. During my university years, I helped launch a startup with a $1M valuation, including an online student portal (pre-Facebook), digital campus news publication, student-produced television channel, and the first online student election system on a university campus.

My wife Elisa and I live (and breathe) on the sleepy end of the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn with our imaginative nine-year-old son, Benjamin, energetic six-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, a twenty-gallon aquarium (filled with tetra, guppy, danio, and gourami), three generations of hostas in our backyard, and a well-loved Brio train set.