Author: JP Dean

Presented by Sea Beast Puppet Company: Kat Pleviak, Erin Krause, Maggie Krause

Curiouser and curiouser… who will you become?

Join us for a delightfully peculiar, drop-in make-&-take workshop where the characters of Wonderland are reimagined through a fantastical world of steampunk. Choose from a cast of classic characters like, Alice, the Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, Queen of Hearts, Cheshire Cat, Caterpillar, and more… perhaps even a certain frumious Jabberwock if your feeling so bold as to bring him to life…… as a beautifully illustrated puppet that is.

Each participant will receive a complete set of parts for one character to color, assemble, and animate. With intricate designs and whimsical details, this experience is as much about the joy of coloring as it is about creating a moving puppet. If time allows, you may even find yourself making more than one… after all, Wonderland rarely stops at just one surprise.

Guided by the inventive minds of Sea Beast Puppet Company (seabeastpuppetry.com), this workshop invites makers of all ages to explore creativity, storytelling, and a touch of mechanical magic. No prior experience required, just a desire to slow down, relax, meet some cool folks, and get your craft on.

This is a 90-minute open workshop, and guests are welcome to drop in, arrive late, or stay as long as they like.
There is no fee for this make-&-take experience, all are welcome! A small teapot of donations will be available for those who wish to contribute; even a few coins help keep the gears turning and the supplies flowing.
Perfect for ages 5–12 and equally enjoyable for adults who love to color, craft, and create.

Kat Pleviak is the Artistic Director and founder of Sea Beast Puppet Company in Glen Ellyn, IL. She holds a BFA in Directing from the University of Illinois (2002) and an MFA in Youth Theatre and Puppetry from the University of Hawaii M?noa (2009). She is currently pursuing an M.A. in Clinical Psychology at Roosevelt University. Under Kat’s direction, Sea Beast has initiated a number of exciting puppetry projects, including original productions such as the Puppet Meltdown Puppet Slam, The Shadow Puppet Conspiracy, The History of Light, and Méfiez-Vous de la Vache-Garou, which won Best in Show at the 2013 Chicago Fringe Festival.
She has taught countless workshops across the country and currently serves as Membership Officer for Puppeteers of America. Kat was also a featured artist in Puppetry International’s “40 Under 40” issue.

Erin Krause is the best Box Office Manager a group could ask for and a committed puppet enthusiast. She worked for years as a high school teacher and is one of Sea Beast’s go-to (and favorite) workshop presenters. When not working with Sea Beast, she works in Nursing Administration at College of DuPage.

Maggie Krause may be young, but she is a longtime Sea Beast alum. She has been helping Sea Beast present at conferences for years. When she’s not teaching puppetry on land, she teaches swim lessons in the water and is currently in her first year at College of DuPage. She also enjoys creative writing and anime.

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Presented by Tim Davis of Splendid Obstacles

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Teapot racing at the Chicago Steampunk Exposition. That’s right you heard it here first. Dust off those racers. Charge up those batteries. It’s race time! Teapot racing brought to you by Splendid Obstacles.

Teapot racers and racing fans of all ages. Dust off your teapot racers. Charge up your batteries. Or just come cheer on your favorite racer. At the Chicago Steampunk Expositions Teapot Race. Splendid Obstacles will be supplying the obstacles for the race. Yes, they are all here. The Candlestick Slalom, The Ramp of Doom, The Seesaw of Indecision, The Chasm of Death, and of course The Tunnel of Terror.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a teapot racer? Mount A teapot to a RC vehicle. Keep it under 30cm [11 7/8″] wide, 30cm [11 7/8″] tall, and 40cm [15 3/4″] long. We’ll see YOU on race day 🙂 

Splendid Obstacles ushering in the new era of teapot racing.

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Presented by Tim Davis of Splendid Obstacles

Take ten paces, turn and fire. If your hand is steady and your aim is true. Then one shot is all that you need. If this sounds like you, or you’re a fan of the duel. Then you won’t want to miss Nerf Dueling. Brought to you by Ten Paces nerf dueling.

For at least a quarter of a century, Steampunk gatherings have been witness to a more civilized form of dueling; firing foam darts at each other!

Come test your nerves and skills with a Nerf pistol against an array of foam marksmen (and women) ready to do battle with you.

Tim Davis, and his Splendid Obstacles ushering in the new era of teapot racing, is a Steampunk Gent of invention and mirth. Davis has painted all of the nerf guns for Ten Paces nerf dueling. 

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Presented by Brett King

Learn about the origins of pinball in the 1800s, and how its modern form began in Chicago in the 1930s. Learn about the technology beneath the table, and try your hand on an authentic 1933 Chicago World’s Fair pinball machine!

Brett King is a man of many hats – a costumer, prop-maker, gamemaster, game designer, presenter, Magic Lantern performer, and convention organizer. His life-long love of role-playing games and storytelling carried over into his steampunk panels, props, and costumes. He always aims to entertain, inform, and inspire at conventions, whether running steampunk-styled Dungeons & Dragons games, teaching about automata or prop making, entertaining as his troll-hunting alter-ego Gustaf Danielsson, or presenting Magic Lantern shows.

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Presented by For the Love of Steampunk ~ Lori Schambureck & Belinda Evans

• $20 Session Materials Fee (payable to presenters)
• 20 Attendee Limit (sign ups outside craft room)
• 90 minutes

Make a magical mirror memento that can be attached to your belt as an accessory, displayed on a table, or hung on a wall. Create a miniature wonderland mirror with all supplies provided for this maker session. Mirror colors are black, silver, or pink but you can paint them too. Steampunk, gothic, fairyland or wonderland… the theme is up to you!

$20 materials fee will be collected at the session by the presenters.

For the Love of Steampunk is a Facebook Page created by Lori Schambureck that provides her own creative ideas, inspiration for projects, completed costumes, and information from world wide events. Lori has a fine art degree and finds steampunk as the perfect aesthetic for her unique style that incorporates up-cycling items. For the Love of Steampunk was created to inspire others to try new ideas and embrace the creative process. Lori is enthusiastic about the fact that Steampunk has no rules or limits to how creative you can be so everyone can have fun.

Belinda Evans is a dedicated art teacher, with a Bachelor’s degree in art, deeply committed to inspiring creativity in her students. Her artistic journey is fueled by a love of Steampunk, seamlessly blending historical aesthetics with industrial innovation. She finds immense joy in creating Steampunk art and costumes, skillfully incorporating seeing techniques and a talent for transformating found objects into captivating works of wearable art. This passion extends to sharing the Steampunk aesthetic with others. In the upcoming maker session, Belinda will guide participants in crafting Fascinators-a type of small Victorian hat. Utilizing various steampunk themed odds and ends, such as clock parts, gears, and even teacups. These workshops showcase her dedication to fostering imagination, craftsmanship, and a love for the creative process within both her student and the wider community.

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Presented by Robert Dicke

Join us for a journey through the unique photography of the Victorian age, such as:

Stereotype Photography
Lewis Carroll Photography
Dead Photography
Ghost Photography

Explore what we can learn in photography from Victorian Times.

Robert Dicke has been an Artist/Photographer for passed forty years. His extensive portfolio includes photographs that have appeared in national magazines, newspapers, local cable networks and online websites.He works for several Chicagoland Bands since 2014 and covering Bands Like Corduroy Chicago, Libido Funk Circus, The Disco Circus, Tennessee Whiskey, and Hillbilly Rock Starz. He has work in the past with Blooze Brothers, Heartless, In the Flesh, and Eclipse-Chicago

Robert been the press photographer for Zurko Midwest Promotions since 2016. Were he start to contribution photographs with Wisconsin based horror show host Deadgar Winter from Deadgar Dark Coffin Classic. Today, He contribution with other horror shows that branch out from Deadgar Dark Coffin Classic, which are Storms Eclectic Realm, and Hexen Arcane.

Robert has covered Sci-Fi and Horror Convention for vendors and show runners for last nine years. Currently he is working with Count Gregula Crypt.

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Presented by Kelsey Josephson

Step into the uncanny world of Victorian imagination, where Wonderland’s impossible logic meets the eerie atmosphere of gaslamp fantasy. We’ll explore how shifting realities, curious transformations, and emerging ideas about the subconscious shaped the era’s literature, art, and scientific spectacle.

Discover how the 1893 Exposition’s blend of innovation, illusion, and cultural display mirrored the topsy?turvy wonder of Carroll’s universe, inspiring strange tales and speculative worlds. Together, we’ll trace how these uncanny traditions continue to influence modern fantasy, from dreamlike narratives to stories that bend the rules of time, identity, and perception.

Kelsey Josephson is a Midwestern author of strange steampunk and reinvented fairy tales. Her creativity is fueled by a love of Universal Monster movies, an obsession with Nikola Tesla, and iced coffee. When she’s not writing, she’s either lost in a fairy tale or searching through archives for inspiration. She is a member of SFWA and ALLi, and the proud winner of the Tippy Golden Teacup Award for Bibliomancy.

Her work includes Strange Happenings, a gaslamp fantasy series set in an alternate timeline, and Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast, a steampunk fairy tale retelling. To up to date on her latest releases, events, and more, visit kelseyjosephson.com or follow her on social media @authorkelseyjosephson

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