BareBones is in the process of consciously educating and transforming its internal culture of creation and production to become a space that is welcoming of all community members who wish to join.

We want everyone who makes art with us to feel welcomed and safe. Each of the following six initiatives is part of an overall drive to actively educate ourselves about patterns of oppression at work in the culture around us and within our puppetry community, and address them with actionable solutions.

1. POCI Art/Kitchen Interns $2000.
2. Radical Empathy; Overcoming Intrinsic Bias. $500.
3. Mediation / Emotional-Processing Support: $640
4. Anti-Oppression Space Creation $300
5. Self-care funds: $1060
6. $100-500 *: as seed money for next year’s Barebones build

Please visit our GoFundMe page for detailed information.

This year we are exploring the theme of “Ancestors”, and experimenting with a different creation-structure. We will open with a ritual of welcoming and initiating, then put together 4 – 5 stories that Staff-Artist-teams and Community-members will be the designers and directors of, honoring or inspired by an ancestors-inspired theme. For example, Ancestors of a common diaspora, culture, or gender-identity; Ancestors recently passed away or from the more distant past; Ancestors with a common message; Ancestors who fought for or birthed or created something in our present world that we are grateful for or inspired by. Rehearsals will be a process of discovery, working independently and coming together for sharing/reflecting with each other. End of performance: A collaboratively-created ritual of closing and gratitude. -Malia Araki Burkhart and Tara Fahey, BareBones Halloween Co-directors, 2018

BareBones is excited to introduce our co-directors for the 25th Annual Halloween Show:

Malia Araki Burkhart and Tara Fahey

This team of dedicated artists come from rich, multi-disciplinary backgrounds with community focus.

Tara Fahey is a multi-disciplinary artist with a focus on puppetry, textiles, screen printing, and lantern-making. Since 2005, she has choreographed, designed costumes, directed, and performed with Chicks on Sticks. Her recent work includes co-creating the Monarch Migration Shanty and a current installation by the Illuminated Reef Collective. Tara’s lineage is a multi rooted tree from Ireland, Norway, Czechoslovakia and France.

Malia Araki Burkhart is a multi-disciplinary performance artist, producer and director, songwriter/musician, visual artist Somatic Massage Therapist, community artist, arts educator and mother. She is based in Minneapolis and has created art locally and internationally. “Art is necessary for the growth and sustenance of the human spirit. I dedicate my life to saying YES to creative urges and healing creative wounds.”