Giant Puppets Save the World aims to build strong vibrant communities by creating enormous puppets that take many hands to create, operate, and participate in public festival arts, such at the Oregon Eclipse Festival, Sunday Streets in San Francisco, Oregon Country Fair, Seattle Solstice Parade, Solar Fest, Afro-Latino Fest, Arts in Nature Festival in Seattle, Washington, San Francisco Sunday Streets, and more!  It is a demonstration that allows us to see that the only way to accomplish anything amazing on this planet is by working together collaboratively.

The list of characters for the giant puppets in the Giant Puppets Save the World ensemble is extensive and begins with an enormous dog named Dogody, five flying Cedar Waxwing song birds with a 8′ wingspan, a giant monarch caterpillar named Kafka, two monarch butterflies, a chrysalis, a warbler, a walking talking compost pile, a gargantuan lime green snake, a series of large earth yoga balls and a dancing tree of life (to name a few).

To see a proposal link for possible participation in your event, CLICK HERE!

Giant puppet makers and project directors include:

Founder, Director, and Puppet Artist: Toni Marie Mikulka

Toni is trained in the style of Bread and Puppet giant puppetry arts, creating cheap political theater to build community with many participating hands, performing skits on issues relating to peace, health, sustainability, and the inherent dignity of all. After training with Bread and Puppet on the pristine hay-scented Bread and Puppet farm in Northern Vermont, she moved to the Pacific Northwest to work with the vibrant puppetry community beginning with the Seattle Solstice Parade. Now she resides in San Francisco where you can see her out and about playing with her giant flying phoenixes and enormous silk flags.  Most recently, she directed the High Sierra Music Festival parade in 2016, 2017, and leads workshops on making giant puppets.

In addition to being an artist and performer, Toni is a seasoned events director, fundraiser, strategic planner, project manager, creative director, and art educator.  She has won national awards from PBS and has dedicated her efforts to organizations like Habitot Children’s Museum in Berkeley, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, United Hospice, Catholic Charities, JCCC The Bread and Puppet Theater Company, and the Fremont Arts Council.  Toni is committed to creating sustainable community with art accessible to all. She firmly believes that giant puppets save the world.

Contact Toni to plan a workshop, a puppet installation or performance with Giant Puppets Save the World – 2019371552 GiantPuppetMaven@Gmail.com

Puppet Artist: Sarah Lovett

Artist Sarah Lovett worked with the Fremont Solstice Parade in it’s beginnings. She received Dave McKay Parade Grants in 2006, 2010, & 2011. She created the, Giant Octopus, a “Floating Deva” inflatable chakra man; the Mythical Dogody, a giant articulated dog puppet, and a human scale butterfly. Sarah is a featured artist at Arts-a-Glow this year.

Formal concerns around structure, beauty and nature are the foundations that form the core of Sarah’s work. She has worked with reed and paper for the past four years, and brings a rich knowledge of materials and construction techniques to make lightweight pieces for performance.

Giant Puppets Save the World Apprentices and Fellows:

Kiran Melnyk