A Good Universe is an artist collective of mural painters, founded by John Gingrich MCPAT, LGPC, Kari Blak and Harlan Ballogg in 2009. The team provides community and commercial-based painting services and licensed therapy for individuals, businesses, municipalities and other organizations throughout North America.

John Gingrich MCPAT, LGPC is a public artist, art therapist and registered counselor. John received his BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2017, with a major in Painting and minor in Social Practice. In 2019, he received his Master’s of Counseling Psychology & Art Therapy from Adler University in Vancouver, BC. John implements the science of healing imagery in his art practice and his counseling practice. He also facilitates large-scale, interactive, collaborative public art projects. John’s approach to social art practice is primarily influenced by Adlerian Psychology. The mental and emotional breakthroughs he witnesses everyday in his therapy practice influence his personal art practice and vise-versa. John is now a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor in the State of Maryland, and paints murals throughout the United States and Canada.

Kari Blak is a Chicago-based painter who hails from a family of muralists. His work focuses on community equitability by leading projects that address contemporary site-specific social issues. Kari is dedicated to reimagining the world through bright colors to build intersections between art and activism. His creative practice includes; fine art painting, public/private murals, children’s book illustrations, graphic design, and arts education. Much of his work addresses today’s socio-political climate, environmentalism, afro-futurism, and color theory. As a core member and lead designer of Mural Moves (artist Co-op), Kari is focused on amplifying the voices of a new generation of black/brown cultural keepers on the south and west sides of Chicago. Recently, he and his family curated a group art show titled “All Children Draw” at the Blanc Gallery, which won the group a Black excellence award. Recently, he has been giving artist talks at the Museum of Contemporary Art and working on murals for Chicago Public Libraries.

Harlan Ballogg is a figurative painter who obtained his BFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in NYC in 2017. He has hand-painted many large-scale advertisements across cities in the US for brands such as Levis, Nike, Vans, The Constellation Group, Seagram’s, Coca-Cola, YSL and more from 2014 - 2018. Harlan presently works as an artisan-painter for Louis Vuitton, painting custom handbags in LV’s flagship locations in New York City and Los Angeles.

All three members utilize colorful, illustrative imagery and they employ a variety of styles from graphic, illustrative, abstract and realistic. The team often juxtaposes conceptual ideas of social justice with a youthful, optimistic aesthetic. A Good Universe believes that a project is not complete unless it is integrated with the minds and hearts of the people who interact with it daily.