Fools’ Court members
The FestiFools steering committee (dubbed the “Fools’ Court”) meets throughout the year and obsesses over how to make FestiFools as awesome as possible. We raise money, secure the necessary permits, publicize the event, build partnerships with local organizations, recruit puppet builders, bring pizza and coffee to the studio — in short, we keep the hive buzzing!
- Mark Tucker (Creative Director)
- Gretchen Adracie
- Shary Brown
- Molly Blakowski
- Nate Chmielewski
- Aislinn Frantz
- Shoshana Hurand
- Rich Klarman
- Deb Mexicotte
- Ryan Munson
- Cathy Roglitz
- Jeri Rosenberg
- Margie Teall
- Nick Tobier
- Dave Waterhouse
- Elisabeth Wilson
Ruth Marsh (Administrative Assistant and all-around superhero)
We also appreciate the contributions of our Foolish alumni: Lisa Bee, Jesse Bernstein, Lisa Herbert Borgsdorf, Geetha Iyer, Nikki Herman, Linda Lombardini, Tim Petersen, Mary Rea, Tamara Real, Theresa Reid, Jay Sandweiss, Sultan Sharrief, Colleen Sherman, Amy St. Amour, Sara Sterkenberg, Christopher Taylor, and Edward Vielmetti.
Some other contributing artists
Master puppet artists, Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles, have been our artists-in-residence on this project since 2007. They work directly with students and community volunteers to help produce the FestiFools extravanganza. We hope they’ll continue to share their talent and encouragement with us for many years to come. Thanks guys! Learn more about them and their work at the Superior Concept Monsters website.
Nick Tobier (who also valiantly serves on our steering committee) is an Assistant Professor at the U-M School of Art & Design. During the Winter Term, he has his students build FestiFools puppets — and, of course, march them around downtown! — as part of their coursework. Since these pieces are designed and built at the Art School (rather than at the FestiFools studio), there’s tremendous anticipation and excitement on the day of the event: All the puppets converge on the same physical space for the very first time. Wow!
Myra Klarman, a portrait photographer based in Ann Arbor, is the Official FestiFools Photographer. She documents the puppet-making process and also the event itself. Her images really capture the energy and vibe of what we Fools are all about, and we’re extremely grateful for her efforts. Check out her FestiFools-related blog entries.
U-M undergrad researchers & employees
FestiFools is extremely fortunate to have the involvement of U-M students in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). Their projects have included the initiation and creation of our street art resources page. This year’s UROP intern is Elisabeth Wilson; former UROP students include Aislinn Frantz, Lisa Frasco, Lauren Hantz, Meredith Hoffman, and Alyssa Marcucci. Our current student employees are Aaron Brown, Aislinn Frantz, and Meryl Waldo.
©2007–2012 Street Theater Art Project (an initiative of the University of Michigan). All rights reserved.
