A SMALL WORLD OF WOODEN PUPPETS by Maïté Agopian

A SMALL WORLD OF WOODEN PUPPETS

What do you think when you hear someone tell you “I am a puppeteer”? What kind of puppets come to mind? And for what kind of audience?
Your answer will probably depend on where you grew up, what kinds of TV shows you watched growing up, what kind of theater you saw or what kind of street parade and festivals you participated in. And whatever your answer is, you are right. Yet maybe incompletely so.

Puppets are indeed a lot of things: they are diverse in their forms, materials, sizes, meaning and reach. They are ancient and very contemporary. They can be “traditionally” recognized (in style and material) or full of influences and inspirations through time and space. They can be sacred, heroic, and poetic as well as satiric, provocative or humorous. They can heal, educate and entertain. Realistic or symbolic, tiny or giant, very simple or extremely complicated, puppets have their place on small street corners as much as in the largest opera stages.

While an exhibit can showcase the craftiness of a puppet, its true nature comes when it is animated (from “anima”: soul, spirit) through manipulation. Through this action only, the object or crafted character can become a true puppet: the inanimate material comes to life, starts to breathe and becomes its own persona.

Through this small exhibit, I am showing a variety of wooden puppet styles which belong to the main categories of hand, string, rod (under or upper), and shadow puppetry. Famous puppets styles like socks or moving mouths (known as “Muppet” style) are not represented here as they are obviously not made of wood.

These puppets were made for a movie as part of a language revitalization project.

Maïté Agopian became a puppeteer after two decades in education and outreach. Through teaching, building and creating her own shows, she uses the power of puppetry and visual storytelling to create connections, inspire, and enhance learning environments.

While she uses various materials to make puppets, she particularly enjoys working with wood and its derivatives (paper, cardboard, etc).

Over the last few years, she received an “Individual Artist Award” from the Rasmuson Foundation, a “Connie Booshever Artist Fellowship” from The Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation and an “Arts, Health and Well-Being in Alaska pilot grant Award” from the Alaska State Council of the Arts. Each of these awards allowed her to expand her artform, develop new pieces and reach new audiences in Alaska and abroad.

As she uses her puppets in her practice, she doesn’t have many for sale, but feel free to contact her if you are looking for a commission.

You can find more information about her work (camps, workshops, activities) and sign up to receive her biannual newsletter on her website: chakpuppetry.org