Ann Arbor’s annual celebratory events, FoolMoon and FestiFools, are returning on Friday, April 10 and Sunday, April 12. A joyful and creative collaboration between the Ann Arbor community and University of Michigan students, the events feature handmade, papier-mâché puppets and lots of foolish merriment. Founder and Creative Director Mark Tucker, and Production Manager Julie Hagopian, provided some history of the events and a rundown on what to expect.
FestiFools first began twenty years ago on April Fool’s Day, after which the mayor at the time declared that the joyful and foolish festival should become an annual tradition. Since then, the event has evolved—where they used to rely primarily on community volunteers to build these massive, dynamic puppets, the onus has now shifted to students at the University of Michigan. Mark Tucker teaches a course in the Lloyd Scholars for Writing and the Arts (LSWA) program, during which students spend the entire semester preparing their sculptures for this event.
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Made out of light-weight cardboard and papier-mâché, the puppets are easy to man, despite their incredible scale. The theme for this year’s FestiFools is “Back to the Foolture,” but Hagopian explained that the themes are always “more of a jumping off point.” Because the events are public-facing with a large audience, they “hope students bring their own interests, values, and beliefs to their sculptures,” she said, since it serves as a great opportunity to share those things.
“FestiFools has the ultimate goal of entertaining people, but this part,” Tucker said, gesturing at the students creating around him, “is most important.” He explained that most students taking this course are not art majors, which means this may be the only art class they take during their time in college. The process “allows them to be foolish, but it’s also really serious work,” he asserted. Beyond learning artist skills like color theory, this class also encourages students to tap into “the creative side of themselves,” which he feels is “important no matter what [career] you go into.”
Despite the shift from working largely with volunteers to students, Tucker found that the community still wanted to get involved and maintained curiosity about how to make their own puppets. Inspired by carnival festivals during his travels to Italy, as well as a summer solstice event in the Alps, Tucker came up with the idea for FoolMoon. An event to supplement FestiFools, FoolMoon would allow for the community to continue to embrace this art form and celebrate foolishness. A sort of handmade-luminary parade, this event involves three different routes of processionals that wind through town, ultimately converging for a celebration with live music, dancing and festivities. Every year leading up to the event, luminary workshops are held for the public.
“People feel really fulfilled and proud to make something from nothing,” Tucker said. He explained that they try to encourage people to embrace the creative process and make something “joyous, lovely, and cacophonous.” Working in tandem to create one weekend full of fun and foolishness, these two events have become a beloved tradition in the Ann Arbor community.
This year, FoolMoon will be held on Friday, April 10. At 8pm, participants will gather at three different “constellation stations”—Slauson Middle School, UMMA, and the Kerrytown Farmer’s Market— and will begin their cavort through downtown Ann Arbor, ending up at Washington and Ashley street, where there will be a large celebration of music, lights and dancing lasting until midnight.
FestiFools will be held on Sunday, April 12, from 4-5pm on Main Street. In addition to the bizarro, larger-than-life-sized puppets, there will be live music, noisemakers and mayhem producers. Come as you are or wear a crazy costume, and while you are more than welcome to watch, everyone is encouraged to help man the puppets and join in on the fun.
