Alex Kahn is a visual artist whose work draws on his perapatetic background in theatrical design, printmaking and digital arts, sculptural installation, and pageant puppetry. His work has been exhibited internationally, and he has been recognized with numerous grants and fellowships, including a 2006 Fulbright Scholarship to Trinidad, to study Trinidad’s renowned Carnival culture, and a Mid-Altlantic Arts Foundation Artists and Communities Grant. Kahn currently serves on the faculty of Maine College of Art, and was (with Sophia Michahelles) a Roman J Witt Visiting Artist at the University of Michigan’s School of Art and Design. Since 1998, Alex Kahn has collaborated with Michahelles to create large-scale mask and puppet performances for public processions. These works are developed through open community workshops that bring hundreds of volunteers together to build, rehearse, and ultimately perform cyclical pieces specifically for the parade medium. In addition to leading New York’s Village Halloween Parade each year, Kahn’s creations have appeared in venues worldwide. His work has appeared at Henson International Festival of Puppet Theatre, and he and Michahelles have created site-specific community pageants for diverse locales in Italy, Trinidad and Tobago, Texas, Maine, Oregon, New York, Michigan. When not traveling to various locales to create pageants Kahn spends his hours keeping Russian-Carniolan honeybees.

(click here download Alex's curriculum vitae)

(Wikipedia entry for Alex Kahn)

Sophia Michahelles brought her background in set design and art history to Processional Arts Workshop. Since 1998 she has collaborated with Alex Kahn to design and build the giant puppets that perform at the head of New York's Annual Village Halloween Parade. She has created site-specific processions with communities in Maine, Texas, Michigan, Oregon and New York, as well as in Italy where they run an annual workshop, and Trinidad where they designed, created and performed a band for Carnival, and collaborated with local artists. Michahelles was granted an Artist Residency at the Caribbean Center for Contemporary Art, was the recipient of a 2006 Mid-Atlantic Artists Foundation Artists and Communities Grant, and is a Roman J. Witt Visiting Artist at the University of Michigan’s School of Art and Design. Michahelles is also a performer with Basil Twist’s obie-award winningSymphonie Fantastique, and has created and performed solo puppet shows, including "Georgettes Debut" her one-woman drag burlesque of George Bush. She is a devoted practioner of Capoiera and is currently learning to stilt-walk.

(click here download Sophia's curriculum vitae)

(Wikipedia entry for Sophia Michahelles)

NY'S VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARADE: 
Jeanne Fleming, Producer and Artisitc Director

CHOREOGRAPHERS:
Sandra Loring
Livia Vanaver
Ramona of the Cakewalk

CULINARY ANGELS: 
Jessica Bard
Marina Michahelles
Emily Hilliard

TECHNICIANS, MARSHALLS and STAGE MANAGERS:

Steffen Hyder
Roger Downs
Kevin Taylor
Rich Taylor
Moira  Sauer
Maura Gahan
Linda Lambertson
Pia Petruzzi
Brendan McMahon
Shelley Smith
Admiral Michahelles
Jeff Bratcher
Odenke Adomaku-Manu
Bess Williamson
Christopher Fox
Meg Aldrich
Richard Aldrich
Ania Aldrich
Arden Kirkland
      

LOGISTICS: Howie Callies

PHOTOGRAPHY: 

Leopold Kramm
Adm. Mike Michahelles
Gary Oliver
Karl Rabe
Alex Kahn
Jody Kivort
Jay Gardner