WonderFool Productions is a collaboration between community members and University of Michigan. Here are just a few of the people who make FestiFools and FoolMoon happen.
Fools’ Court members
The WonderFool Productions Volunteer Board (dubbed the “Fools’ Court”) meets throughout the year and obsesses over how to make FestiFools and FoolMoon (and other stuff) 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 (Founder / Creative Director)
- Dave Waterhouse (President)
- Jeri Rosenberg (Fundraising Director)
- Shary Brown (Producer)
- Shoshana Hurand (Secretary)
- Kathe Bowen (Treasurer)
- Ryan Munson (Production Committee)
- Gretchen Adracie (Production Committee)
- Phillis Engelbert (Production Committee)
- Matt Altruda (Production Committee)
We also appreciate the contributions of our Foolish alumni: Lisa Bee, Jesse Bernstein, Molly Blakowski, Lisa Herbert Borgsdorf, Nate Chmielewski, Aislinn Frantz, Geetha Iyer, Nikki Herman, Rich Klarman, Linda Lombardini, Deb Mexicotte, Tim Petersen, Mary Rea, Tamara Real, Theresa Reid, Cathy Roglitz, Jay Sandweiss, Sultan Sharrief, Colleen Sherman, Amy St. Amour, Sara Sterkenberg, Christopher Taylor, Margie Teall, Nick Tobier, Edward Vielmetti, and Elisabeth Wilson.
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 is an Associate 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! (All this talk of things showing up in surprising locations seems almost lifted from Nick’s “Everyday Places” website.)
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 had 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. Our UROP students have included Aislinn Frantz, Lisa Frasco, Lauren Hantz, Meredith Hoffman, Kelly Lewis, Alyssa Marcucci, Amal Muzaffar, and Elisabeth Wilson.
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