Puffin Advisory Board

Esther is a writer, teacher and cultural activist. She has produced hundreds of posters, exhibits, and cultural programs about working people and unions. Former Executive Director of Bread and Roses 1199/SEIU, she’s currently Executive Director of the National Writers Union non-profit, and a cultural consultant for the Workforce Development Institute. She posts a poem a day at www.esthercohen.com.

Chris is a Professor of Sociology at Fordham University. From 2009 to 2015 he served on the Advisory Committee of the Puffin Gallery of Social Activism at the Museum of the City of New York, and in 2018-2019 he was an advisor for the Puffin-sponsored MCNY exhibit on “City of Workers, City of Struggle.” He is the author of The Broken Table: The Detroit Newspaper Strike and the State of American Labor and No There There: Race, Class and Political Community in Oakland.

Zandra Strother is a retired clinical laboratory scientist who worked in many areas of her field including education, administration, and market research. Her love of exploration and creative expression manifest in her relationship with the Puffin Foundation, where she is a member of the Photography Club as well as a frequent attendee at the Puffin Educational Forum. Zandra has given talks at Puffin about her experiences coordinating travel to sites along the Underground Railroad. She is an avid reader and writer and has been with the Teaneck Bookmates for more than 20 years.

Monika Wuhrer, who hails from Austria, is an artist, gallery director, and educator. Her work has been awarded numerous awards and grants and has been exhibited in 9 countries. Monika founded the Open Source Gallery in NYC in 2007 and serves as its Executive Director. She is also the counder of KoKo NYC, an arts based educational program for NYC schools. In 2016 she was the first curator for the Norwegian project Kultorøya.

Formerly the Director of Education at the Museum of the City of New York, EY Zipris is now on faculty at Teachers College, Columbia University. EY's primary focus is on creating sustainable pathways for those interested in transforming museum culture from the inside out, fostering inspiring and educational opportunities for students and teachers in museums, and considering exhibitions and ephemera as conduits for transformational and engaged learning. One of her proudest achievements is founding the Museum’s Teaching Social Activism Conference inspired by the Activist New York exhibition.