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)
- Shary Brown
- Shoshana Hurand
- Rich Klarman, TestGuru: Private Law Tutoring
- Linda Lombardini, LindaLom.com
- Ryan Munson
- Frank Pahl, FrankPahl.net
- Tim Petersen, Arboretum Ventures
- Tamara Real, Arts Alliance
- Cathy Roglitz
- Jeri Rosenberg
- Colleen Sherman
- Margie Teall, Ann Arbor City Council
- Nick Tobier, U-M School of Art & Design
- Theresa Reid, Arts on Earth
- Christopher Taylor, Ann Arbor City Council
- Edward Vielmetti, vielmetti.typepad.com
- Dave Waterhouse
Ruth Marsh (Administrative Assistant)
We also appreciate the contributions of our Foolish alumni: Lisa Bee (Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea), Jesse Bernstein (A2 Chamber of Commerce), Lisa Herbert Borgsdorf, Nate Chmielewski, Geetha Iyer, Nikki Herman, Mary Rea, Jay Sandweiss, Sultan Sharrief, Amy St. Amour, and Sara Sterkenberg.
Some other contributing artists
Master puppet artists, Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles, are 2008 artists-in-residence at U-M. They worked directly with students and community volunteers to help produce this year’s FestiFools extravanganza. We hope they’ll share their talent and encouragement with us again next year. Thanks guys! Learn more about them and their work at the Superior Concept Monsters website.
Nick Tobier 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 is the Official Photographer for FestiFools. 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 blog entries on FestiFools 2007 and FestiFools 2008 and FestiFools 2009.
U-M undergrad researchers
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. Joining Alyssa Marcucci this year are fellow UROP students Lisa Frasco and Aislinn Frantz.
©2007–2009 Street Theater Art Project (an initiative of the University of Michigan). All rights reserved.
