About

Who We Are:

A collaborative team of partners and neighborhood residents will lead this project. Lead Artists and Harambee residents Annushka Peck and Julia Swanson will partner with Dr. Barbara Leigh and the Milwaukee Public Theatre, Katherine Polace and

the Holton Youth + Family Center (HYFC), Milwaukee Mask and Puppet Theatre, yoga instructor Katharina Hren and others.

Core Organizers:

Annushka Peck is a visual artist and Assistant Adjunct Professor at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

Julia Swanson is a social worker at Hope House of Milwaukee and co-founder of the Nigella Commons community garden in Harambee.

Dr. Barbara Leigh, recently named ‘Milwaukee Artist of the Year, is an originating artist and co-founder of the Milwaukee Public Theatre.

Katherine Polace, HFYC Program Director, will coordinate involvement of youth from the Holton Youth + Family Center.

Katharina Hren is a trauma-informed and children’s yoga instructor and has taught at HY+FC, correctional facilities, Meta House, the Urban Ecology Center, Running Rebels and other schools and CBO’s.

Project Description:

Through a series of community workshops and builds in partnership with Milwaukee Public Theatre and the Holton Youth & Family Center, the project will culminate in an all-ages puppet parade and pageant that brings people together to tell a story about the neighborhood. The workshops will include story-themed yoga, led by Katharina Hren and visual art/puppet building led by Annushka Peck and Julia Swanson.

The Parade will lead a tour of the Artery, beginning at Richards Street, joined by viewers and community members along the way and ending at Capital Drive with a puppet pageant that tells a story of renewal and transformation of the Harambee neighborhood.