Center for Puppetry Arts facts for kids
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| Established | 1978 |
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| Location | 1404 Spring Street NW Atlanta, Georgia |
| Founder | Vincent Anthony |
| Public transit access | Arts Center station |
The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia, is the biggest place in the United States dedicated to the amazing art of puppetry. It's a special spot that focuses on three main things: putting on puppet shows, teaching people about puppets, and showing off a huge collection of puppets in its museum. It's one of only a few puppet museums in the whole world! The Center is located in Midtown, which is Atlanta's main arts area. It was started in 1978 by a man named Vincent Anthony.
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History of the Center for Puppetry Arts
The Center for Puppetry Arts first opened its doors to the public on September 23, 1978. A very special guest, Kermit the Frog, and his creator, Jim Henson, were there to cut the ribbon!
A young puppeteer named Vincent Anthony, who was from Florida, started his journey by touring with Nicolo Marionettes. He learned a lot from Nicholas Coppola in New York City. By 1966, Vince wanted to be part of a smaller community where he could make a real difference. He decided to move to Atlanta with Mitchell Edmonds, another puppeteer he had worked with. Together, they started their own company called The Vagabond Marionettes.
Vince had a big dream: to create a center that would celebrate puppetry and become an important part of the community. Their touring company became very successful, traveling all around the southeastern United States. They also performed for several seasons at Atlanta's Woodruff Arts Center. In 1978, Vince found a permanent home for his dream in an old school building called Spring Street Elementary School. This is where the Center for Puppetry Arts was born! In its first year, the Center showed off puppets, put on shows for both adults and families, and hosted workshops for the community. These activities are still a big part of the Center today.
Since it began, the Center has worked hard to serve many different people in Atlanta, Georgia, and across the country. It helps the community through its main programs: performances, the museum, and education.
On July 25, 2007, the Center announced exciting news: a new Jim Henson Wing would be opening! This special wing would be home to hundreds of retired Muppets. These include characters from famous shows like Fraggle Rock, The Muppet Show, and Sesame Street. The new wing also features films, drawings, and other cool items from the Jim Henson Company archives. This new part of the Center opened on November 14, 2015.
Puppet Performances
Every year, the Center for Puppetry Arts puts on its Family Series. This series features classic stories that are adapted, as well as brand-new shows. The Center's own puppet company performs these shows using many different puppetry styles. Some past shows have included a version of "The Shoemaker & The Elves" set in 1940s Manhattan, "Dinosaurs" by Jon Ludwig, and "The Ghastly Dreadfuls' Compendium of Graveyard Tales and Other Curiosities," which is a fun Halloween show. The Family Performances include shows created by the Center's company, as well as performances by artists from all over the world. During SummerFest, puppetry groups from across the country visit the Center to perform various shows for families. Many Family Performances also include a "Create-A-Puppet" workshop. In these workshops, kids can build a puppet that is related to the show they just watched!
The Center for Puppetry Arts also has the New Directions Series. This series features shows for teens and adults by artists from Atlanta and visiting companies. The New Directions Series shows are often more thought-provoking and visually stunning. Each show has a suggested age for people attending.
The Film Series shows "classic movies, hidden gems, and contemporary productions." While these are not live performances, they are films related to the world of puppetry.
Learning About Puppetry
Besides putting on amazing shows, the Center offers many classes and workshops for both adults and children. The Create-A-Puppet Workshops, which go along with the Family Series performances, let children build their own puppet related to the show. Adults can learn more about different parts of puppetry in the Adult Education Series. The Distance Learning program helps students across the U.S. by offering a virtual field trip experience. Now, many programs and workshops are also available online through recorded videos and live webinars.
The Puppetry Museum
The Center's museum and special exhibits display puppets from different time periods and countries around the world. Seeing these puppet exhibits helps visitors understand and enjoy the performances even more. The Worlds of Puppetry Museum holds the largest collection of Jim Henson artifacts in the world! It also has one of the biggest collections of puppets from around the globe in the Western Hemisphere.
Some of the famous puppets you can see in the collection include:
- Wayland Flowers' Madame
- Puppets from The Little Players
- Skeksis from the movie The Dark Crystal
- Two of the early mask designs created by Julie Taymor for the huge Broadway hit, The Lion King
- Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot from Mystery Science Theater 3000
- And many of Jim Henson's famous Muppets like Rowlf the Dog, Ernie, Swedish Chef, Pigs In Space, and Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem.
The Museum also has a library filled with books and materials about puppetry art.
Awards and Recognition
The Center for Puppetry Arts has received many important awards. The Ford Foundation chose the Center as one of only 28 organizations in the country to be recognized for its great management and new programs. The Kresge Foundation gave the Center three different grants to help with its building projects. The Center was also the only theater group chosen by the 1996 Olympics to be part of its arts festival program for all four years. This led to Newsweek magazine calling it "one of the most exciting companies in American theater." In 2008, the Center's education department won the Microsoft Education Award, as a winner of the 2008 Tech Museum Awards. The Center has also been given the UNIMA Citation of Excellence, which is the highest award in puppetry, 13 different times!
