"...a direct conduit to the imagination"

Jacqui June Whitlock, Puppet Education Specialist, with children at Fairyland, Oakland, CA. Screenshot from video

I was uncertain about what to write about today…until I read a post about arts education programming for preschool learners in Oakland using puppetry.

“Puppets are a direct conduit to the imagination. Because they can be realistic or totally abstract, they invite audience members to project their own idea of character and circumstance onto a piece of fabric or some papier mache, and thus to transform it into something magical.”

—Carey Perloff, former artistic director of San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater, puppet proponent

I have always had a special place in my heart for puppets. I remember marionettes and a cardboard marionette stage I was given for a childhood birthday. When I was a young educator working in a pre-school, I discovered Steiff puppets and splurged on a tiger and a monkey on my starving educator income (today those puppets are collectors items). When my daughter was born, I added a Steiff rabbit to my collection. One of my most treasured books to read together as she grew was a large hardback photo book about Bunraku puppetry, the Japanese art form. (Here’s the book on Amazon.)

Some years later, we were living in a university town with a Balinese Gamelan ensemble. My daughter Zoe was taking gamelan lessons. A professor in the Indonesian music program brought her extraordinary collection of Balinese shadow play puppets to visit a gathering of kids at our house. Magical. Shadow play puppet theater is another great source to look to for inspiration in puppetry with kids. (Bows to Larry Reed, one of the great North American masters of shadow play. Check out the Shadowlight team here, and here on Instagram.)

For a little more puppetry backstory, please read this post from the archives of the Mindful Digital Life blog that I wrote in February 2022.

You don’t need elaborate puppets (although one or two are awesome to have) as I explain in the 2022 post. I spotted this little ladybug at my local grocery store and just had a hunch it would make a great “puppet.” I loved the smile and you can dance her using a little button in the base. I introduced her to my granddaughter a few days ago via a Facetime call and they became fast friends. This morning she called me to ask, “Would anyone like to say hello to me?” Of course, Ladybug jumped on camera to say hello and the two of them were off playing in the fields of the imaginal.

Make sure to watch the video that’s included in the EdSource article about the puppetry program in Oakland. And how about Jacqui June Whitlock’s job title—Puppet Education Specialist? 

“I’ve been dreaming of doing a program like this for years. It’s amazing that we finally have the funding to do it,” she said. “In America, we tend to think of puppets as simple toys for children, but really there’s so much more to puppetry. Many other cultures think of them as more than that. They can be a very complex tool.” 

—Jacqui June Whitlock

Taking a break in July 

I started writing The Interconnect in July, 2023 and I’ve managed to write most weeks this past year. I’m taking a sabbatical for the month ahead to focus on a collection of poetry that I intend to publish sooner than later. I am happy with most of the sections but still have about a third left that could use some focused time for reorganizing. Then, I’ll be ready to format. Woohoo!

I wish you all time for creative projects and space to encourage the flourishing of imagination in your life and in the lives of all the children you support.

Be well. Thank you for your curiosity and making time to read The Interconnect. I’m glad you’ve found your way here and I hope you stay a while. Please consider sharing this post with family, friends, teachers, and/or colleagues who might appreciate it and put it to work.