• Lead Artists earn an hourly wage as they learn to design and build the puppet.

• Community Workshop days are free or by donation.

• Lead Artists gain valuable resume-building experience.

• Community Workshops equip participants with engineering and construction skills while highlighting the impactful work of partner organizations.

• Workshop participants represent a blend of Full Moon’s and the partner organization’s outreach communities, fostering connection and collaboration.

• On average 70+ students participate in Community Workshops, many attending multiple sessions.

• The puppets are donated to the community organization, where they continue to be used at events and gatherings.

Christopher Lutter (Bush Fellowship recipient with 20+ years of experience building large-scale puppets) is a designer, inventor, and teaching artist who creates puppets, masks, and theatrical installations using primarily waste-stream materials.

Magdalena Kaluza has 15+ years of experience in community arts and organizing. They are a Co-op Culture Organizer with United Renters for Justice, helping 60 families build a permanently affordable housing cooperative in south Minneapolis.

Andrew Young is a Taiwanese-Indonesian-American puppeteer, artist, and educator in Minneapolis. Trained through Monkeybear’s Harmolodic workshop, they’ve been a Full Moon Staff member and teaching artist since 2018.

Kallie Melvin born in Calcutta and raised in Minnesota, is a theater and dance artist with 15+ years of professional experience. She has performed with Guthrie, Mixed Blood, Stages, Children’s Theater, Illusion, and Pangea, and has been a Full Moon staff member since 2022.

Liping Vong is a multidisciplinary artist working in puppetry, theater, film, and visual arts. A Monkeybear Harmolodic Workshop alumnus and 2022 Puppet Lab Fellow, she has been a Full Moon staff member since 2024, contributing her creative expertise.