Writing/Essay/Journal
As a puppeteer, Sandy Spieler creates more than just human puppets, but also makes many animal puppets. As she explains, “When we talk about ‘the community,’ we aren’t just talking about the human community.” What place do animals have in your life or in the life of your community? How are animals a part of your community? What roles do they play? What political implications are present in each form of art? How would you use each form of art to express a message? What message would it be?

Activity
The May Day Parade in Minneapolis every year is a celebration of winter being over, of spring beginning, and of people gathering. It is also generally quite political. Spieler was also invited to take part in an event calling for the reunification of Korea. Create your own puppet show with a political message. How can the use of puppetry get the message across in a different way than other methods?