Valeska Populoh

Valeska Maria Populoh works as an artist, educator and cultural organizer in her adopted hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.  Embracing a wide array of tactics, from puppetry to participatory performance, Valeska’s work is motivated by an interest in healing and repair, in our relationships to each other and to the natural world. Valeska has performed at the International Toy Theater Festival in New York City, the Puppeteers of America Festival, and Puppet Uprising!  She has been a coordinator of the Transmodern Performance Festival and is the co-founder of the Puppet Slamwich at Black Cherry Puppet Theater. She is a trained facilitator in the Critical Response Process and has facilitated workshops on strengthening group dynamics in community-based work, collaborating frequently with other artists and organizations to invent, create and curate cultural actions and events. Valeska also serves on the faculty of the Fiber and First Year Departments at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where she has been teaching since 2008.