Christopher Lutter-Gardella is a designer, sculptor, theater-maker and community educator whose work revolves around the design, construction and performance of puppets, masks, props, costumes, theatrical inventions, kinetic-sets and sculptural installations. He produces his art predominately from waste-stream materials, exploring the unique potentials inherent in a variety of materials. For two decades Chris has been working to facilitate original thinking in the realms of theatrical, educational and public-art design. A deep emphasis is placed upon eco-consciousness, resource-fulness, collaboration and improvisation. Chris is founder and artistic director of Big Animal Productions LLC, a public art production company, based in Minneapolis, MN. He also manages and directs Puppet Farm Arts, a humble nonprofit community-arts organization. Chris received a 2006 Bush Artist Fellowship, a 2008 Public Art Saint Paul Sustainable Practices Fellowship, a 2012 McKnight Theater Artist Fellowship and a 2014 Forecast/ McKnight Profes-sional Development Grant. He is on the Minnesota State Arts Board and COMPAS Creative Classroom and Artful Aging teaching-artist rosters.