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Short Puppet Films By Jessica Simon


“H


ow can we support artists right now?” was the question at a meeting of the staffs of Heather Henson’s IBEX Puppetry, Handmade Puppet Dreams, and Puppet Slam Network, all now housed under the


umbrella of Green Feather Foundation, Inc. With touring shows cancelled, film productions paused, and puppet slams closed, the organization was concerned about the many artists who make up the puppetry community. Green Feather Foundation put multiple initiatives into action, one being Handmade Puppet Dreams’ Quarantine Micro-Commissioned Short Puppet Films. Inspired by the resourcefulness of entries in the 48hr Puppet Film Project— the contest to build, shoot, and edit a short puppet film


“A lockdown is a sad way to get your creative juices flowing, but when you think about it, we seek art when times get tough as a way of contextualizing our experience,” observed actor Rudy Martinez.


Designed to offer support to artists working in isolation, the cohort meetings offered opportunities to trade tips, share inspiration, and learn from each other.


I asked the filmmakers about their involvement in the cohort, and their filmmaking process. Spread across the United States, filmmakers such as Shayna Strype found solidarity in the group. Strype, an interdisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn said, “Prior to our first meeting, I hadn’t met any of the other artists in the cohort, and it’s been so gratifying to make connections and friendships through this community.” Touring puppeteer and clown Vanessa Valliere added, “I met an amazing group of superbly talented and uncommonly supportive artists. I suspect there are future collaborations there.” “It was especially helpful that the cohort met virtually once


IBEX Commissions


Image from the film Marianne's Onion by Alex and Olmsted. Photo courtesy of IBEX Puppetry


all within 48 hours—Handmade Puppet Dreams posed the challenge of creating smaller-budget, shorter-timeline, at- home variations of commissioned films.


Since 2004, Handmade Puppet Dreams has commissioned over 20 short puppet films from artists around the country. There are currently seven volumes of collected and commissioned films in their catalog, with an eighth volume on the way, and many individual shorts available on Amazon Prime.


An aspect new to the Micro-Commissioned Films was the regular virtual meetings of the filmmakers in the cohort.


a month. I could get much-needed guidance while working in a medium I was not very experienced with. Seeing what my peers were able to make was immensely inspiring,” remarked Myra Su, a Chicago-based storyteller and puppeteer. Su remembered the early days of the pandemic, “It was a surreal whirlwind. I was on tour with Manual Cinema in Canada when lockdown was announced, and we literally got back home a few days before the U.S.–Canada border closed.” Because of physical distancing, many of the filmmakers were facing uncertain futures. Eric Wright, cofounder of New York continued on next page


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