Resume

Christopher Lutter-Gardella

Minneapolis, MN
612-695-6871
christopherlutter.com

Organizational Position

Founder, artistic director and general manager of Puppet Farm Arts, a small 501c3 non-profit arts education organization, since 2001. Founder and director of Big Animal Productions LLC.

Awards and Grants

McKnight/ Forecast Professional Development Grantee
McKnight Theater Artist Fellowship, 2012
Artist Initiative Grant, Minnesota State Arts Board, 2009
Sustainable Practices Fellow, Public Art St. Paul, 2008
Bush Artist Fellow, Bush Foundation, 2006

Rosters

Teaching Artist, Minnesota State Arts Board, on-going, since 2006
COMPAS WAITS and Young Audiences Artist, on-going, since 2006

Education

BA English Literature, Minor Art
Northland College, Ashland, Wisconsin

Artistic Commission Work (selection)

(Updates forthcoming)

Turtle Temple · Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis · August 2017

Designer and Builder—Urban planter/arbor and gathering place for students, staff and neighbors.

Keke-The Mammoth · Artistic Collaboration · May 2017

Designer and Builder—with Alison Heimstead. 2-person puppet and climate-change awareness tool.

Pedal-powered Carousel · Juxtaposition Arts, Minneapolis
July 2016

Designer and Builder— in collaboration with Brandon Brown/Onyx Cycles. Artistic, interactive, community-engagement tool for play and fitness.

Wolf and Moose · City of Minneapolis / Northern Lights
June – October 2016

Designer and Lead Artist—guiding a team of 9 artists and Juxtaposition Arts apprentices. Creative City Challenge winner. A 4-month, interactive, public art installation on the Minneapolis Convention Center plaza. Spectacle sculptures of a wolf and a moose.

Reboot Fermentation Fest · WormFarm Institute, Reedsburg, WI · October 2015

Designer and Builder—Spectacle-scale kinetic boot sculpture, which can moon-walk across a field.

White Tiger/ Tick-Tock Croc · Circus Juventas, St. Paul · June 2015/2014

Designer, Builder and Coach. Large-scale white tiger puppet, which can be ridden by performer, for 1001 Nights. 30-foot crocodile marionette, capable of swallowing Hook whole, for Neverland.

Sister Dignity · Chicago SEIU / Fight for 15 · April 2015

Designer and Community Artist. 16-foot-tall mobile service worker’s strike statue.

The Devil Inferno · James Sewell Ballet, Minneapolis · April – July 2013

Designer, Builder and Coach. Spectacle-scale, danced-and-puppetted devil mask for ballet Inferno.

Shrek Dragon · Shrek the Musical / Home-Base Theater · Maple Grove, MN · April – July 2013

Designer and Production Lead, in collaboration with artistic team. 30-foot-long, 5-person puppet as well as all set and scenic pieces.

Water-Wheel Play Table · Seward Childcare Center, Minneapolis · June – September 2012

Designer and Builder—in collaboration with Ryan Billig. Kinetic water-play area for Seward Childcare Center, as an integrated element of a storm-water run-off irrigation system.

Big Boots · FermentationFest / WormFarm Institute · Reedsburg, WI · October 2011-12

Designer and Lead Builder—in collaboration with community volunteers. Sculptural installation/puppet of spectacle-scale work-boots, as a part of a tour of art-on-the landscape. Work was featured on NEA website and in Public Art Review.

PASPider/mobile community-arts lab · Public Art Saint Paul · St Paul, MN · March – July 2009

Designer and Builder– in association with fabrication team. Mobile community engagement tool which is at once, a readily deployable community arts lab / mechanical spider marionette.

Community and Educational Project Management Experience (selection)

Designer and Presenter · The Silk Road—Symphony Ball · Minnesota Orchestra, Minneapolis · June 24 2017

Presented a life-sized elephant puppet (Genie) and a larger-than-life tiger puppet (Carlos) at the MN Orchestra’s annual Symphony Ball/ The Silk Road.

Technical Theater Consultant · MonkeyBear’s Harmolodic Workshop · Minneapolis · May-June 2017

Consulted members of the MBHW’s POC cohort, in technical and artistic development.

Program Designer and Teaching Artist · Benton Stearns Voyaguers Program · Sauk Rapids, MN · March 2017

Designed and presented arts education programming for special needs middle and high school youth, in an alternative school setting.

Project Designer and Trainer · Native American Community Development Institute · Minneapolis · March – April 2017

Designed mask templates, for the production of clan animal masks, in a community workshop, culminating in a parade of clan animals for the kick-off of Indian Awareness Month (May).

Project Designer and Teacher · Ebenezer Care Center / Park Apartments · Minneapolis · October 9 – December 11 2014

Designed and implemented an 8-session puppet-making workshop for low-income senior residents. Program administered by COMPAS Art’s Artful Aging program.

Community Artist/ Project and Puppet Designer · Burnett Co Historical Society · Burnett Co. WI · August 15 – September 20 2014

Designed and presented a community-arts workshop, in celebration of the 100 anniversary of the hunt for the World Record White-tail deer: the Jordan Buck. Designed and led the build of larger-than-life deer puppet, composed a commemorative ballad and presented at sites.

Teaching Artist / Project Designer · COMPAS Arts/ Harambee Elementary · Maplewood, MN · March 10—28 2014

Designed and implemented a 3-week-long school arts residency, producing hundreds of butterfly puppets, including a hanging mobile installation of a flock of 100+ large-scale monarchs.

Program Designer and Teacher · VSA Minnesota and Epic Enterprise Inc. · Minneapolis and Dundas, MN · May—June 2012

Designed and implemented a 5-week-long puppetry arts residency for VSA and Epic, serving people with severe developmental disabilities and mental illness. I also trained trainers.

Program Designer and Manager · Dragons Are Singing All-School Residencies · Green Central Elementary & Northport Elementary · February – April 2012

Designed and managed the implementation of all hands-on projects comprising a school-wide puppetry and mask-making residency. At Green Central: 440 students, 27 teachers and 6 artistic staff were involved. A comparable number participated at Northport.

Program Designer and Teacher · Sunrise Elementary School, Appleton, WI · February 2011

Worked with students, teachers, administrators and others to create and implement a three-week, school-wide puppetry arts residency program. Students received hands-on experience creating art and organizing a grand celebration for the entire school community.

Designer/Director—Public Demonstration · Backbone Campaign/United Workers · Baltimore, MD · March 2010

Consulted with and directed a consortium of low-wage workers to develop and perform four mass-participation plays, each addressing a specific social justice issue. Plays received positive press, raising awareness and support for their cause.

Consultant / Workshop Director · Sonoran Desert Alliance, Ajo, AZ · February 2006 – September 2009

Assisted in the development of long-term strategic goals and plans for community-arts programs and cross-border peace initiatives. Designed and conducted community workshops and facilitated discussions with multi-cultural groups to organize an International Day of Peace event for the region. Engaged Native American women in developing leadership skills through arts programming.

Artistic Director/ Program Consultant · Phipps Center for the Arts · Hudson, WI · March – July 2008

Oversaw all artistic details of the center’s 25th anniversary celebration– Celebrating the Creative Spirit conducting 20 off-site workshops for more than 300 participants. The event engaged residents in making art and reinforced the value of the arts community in the region.

Workshop Director · Black Hills Community Theater · Rapid City, SD · March 2008

Collaborated with a cross-section of community members and persons with disabilities from the Suzy Cappa Center to design and construct wheelchair–based masks and puppets for the play Flutter.

Staff Artist · May Day Parade and Festival · In the Heart of the Beast, Minneapolis · 1999—2006

Collaborated with a team of artists to design and present parade and ceremonial art for the celebration of the annual May Day Parade and Festival.