The book Nalah and the Pink Tiger was inspired by Anne and Jemiah’s lively little niece. Sawyer-Aitch wrote the story over a year ago, then developed a style which she calls Illuminated Illustration, featuring multiple layers and backlighting. She finished another eight pages at her artist retreat in New York Mills, and is currently seeking funding to complete the project and publish it. She hopes to hold the first copy of Nalah and the Pink Tiger in her hands by February of 2012. Anne also plans to create a puppet show to promote the book around the metro area in libraries and local independent book stores.

Sawyer-Aitch’s giant swallow puppets are now hanging in Wadena’s An Open Book.

On the weekend of October 24, Anne and her husband Jemiah trucked seven of her large swallow puppets up to Wadena, MN to hang in An Open Book. Resident Artist Jamie Houts – who is creating a series of charming Alice in Wonderland paintings for the independent book store – directed the installation of the birds, assisted by Jemiah Aitch, Chris Houts, and many helpful kids.

The swallow puppets, which Sawyer-Aitch created for the In the Heart of the Beast’s May Day Parade in 2008, are made of bamboo, cardboard, and batiked agricultural fabric. For the previous three months, they had been hanging in the 801 gallery in downtown Minneapolis, as part of a show that Anne co-curated with Art Car Maven Jan Elftman.

“We’ve been getting rave reviews about the birds,” says An Open Book owner Gillette Kempf. Kempf is also a board member of the New York Mills Cultural Center, where Sawyer-Aitch recently enjoyed an Artist in Residence Retreat.

If you happen to be in the area, An Open Book is located in downtown Wadena, and shares a roof with the delightful Harvest Thyme Bistro. Harvest Thyme focuses on serving healthy local food. One can easily spend the afternoon floating between the bookstore – with its fine selection of new and used classics, science fiction, and fantasy – and the bistro. If you do, look up, and you will see the birds barnstorming the place.

2010 has been a busy year. These are just a few of the projects Anne has been involved in:

January, 2010:

• Organized fundraiser “Pasta for Puppets” for Magic Lantern Puppet Theater and raised the matching funds for the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Award to stage new play “Children and Other Optical Illusions.”

February, 2010:

• MN State Arts Board shadow puppet residency in Mora, Minnesota.

March/April, 2010:

• Taught bilingual Latin American folk-arts workshops for the Hennepin County Library System at schools and libraries around metro area in honor of Día de los Niños. (Crafts included Cuna Molas, metal tooling, and papel picado.)

May, 2010:

• Stilting narrator for In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre’s Annual May Day Pageant.

June 2010:

• Debut of original multi-media play “Children and Other Optical Illusions” at Dreamland Arts. Sawyer-Aitch wrote, directed, and created the puppets for the piece. She also produced it.

July/August, 2010:

• Co-curated a visual arts show called “Puppetry of the Twin Cities” at the 801 Gallery in downtown Minneapolis.
• Mask-making classes at Steppingstone Theater and Latin American crafts for six weeks at Augsberg library.
• Hired by Artstart to teach painting at the MN Science Museum’s Camp Wabasha.

September, 2010:

• Awarded a New York Mills Artist Retreat to work on illustrations for Nalah and the Pink Tiger.

Dragon Puppet by Anne Sawyer-Aitch for Eco-Arts Festival

October/November 2010:

• Awarded Arts Activity Grant by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council to re-stage “Children and other Optical Illusions” at Open Eye Figure Theater with the mentorship of Performer/Director Zaraawar Mistry.
• Arts residency at Mississippi Creative Arts Magnet. Made large dragon for Eco-Arts Festival and helped 90 second-graders make their own dragon masks.
• Performed with Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater as stilter and puppeteer in the Minnesota Orchestra’s Spooktacular.
• Created shadow puppets for Theatre Unbound’s 10 Virgins.
• On-going installation of giant swallow puppets in Open Book store in Wadena, MN.

December, 2010:

• Teaching Saturday Matinee puppet workshops at In the Heart of the Beast.

What’s up in 2011?

• Children and Other Optical Illusions will be re-staged at Open Eye Figure Theater
• Continue to work on Nalah and the Pink Tiger
• Puppetry residency in Mora Minnesota, including building troll puppets for the Vasseloppet Race.
• Directing a pageant in New York Mills of the Kalevala, in collaboration with Artist Annie Rollins and the New York Mills Cultural Center.