Puppetry
As a puppeteer, I founded the Crafty Characters Puppet Troupe to bring culturally diverse stories to young audiences throughout the south. My traditional puppet theater and handcrafted puppets catapult children into the world of make believe. While promoting literacy with classic children’s literature (Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, The Magic Fish, etc.), stories come to life on my puppet stage. Two stories are presented during the thirty-minute program. My shows are designed primarily for pre-school through early elementary aged children.
Teaching Artist
As a teaching artist I am affiliated with several institutions: The Tennessee Performing Arts Center oversees the regional Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts and ArtSmart programs. I have been a Wolf Trap artist since 1992, working extensively in the preschool classroom providing one week or seven week residencies. By partnering closely with the classroom teacher, each residency provides original songs, stories, and activities that are developmentally appropriate, educationally sound, and awaken the student’s curiosity for learning. A Master Artist with Wolf Trap since 2001, my workshop, Let Your Voices Be Heard: Using Puppets To Bring Stories To Life, has been presented to teachers throughout the United States and China. A new workshop, Mother Goose on the Loose was added to the Wolf trap National program in 2008.
In 2002 I was added to the John F. Kennedy Center’s National Touring Roster. This affiliation allows me to present my workshop, Bringing Biographies to Life Through Puppetry to educators across America. As a Kennedy center artist, I attend yearly retreats in Washington for my own professional development. These retreats provide us with the latest educational trends/practices along with the opportunity to refine our work.
I became a teaching artist with the ArtSmart program in 2006. This meaningful program prepares students to understand/appreciate a particular performing or visual work of art. Based on the Lincoln Center model of aesthetic education, a partnership between artists, educators, and students creates an intense exploration of the work of art.
In addition, I was awarded Outstanding Artist-In-Residence for the 2007-2008 school year from the TN Arts Commission. Combining a love of bead art and puppetry resulted in a well-reviewed show at the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Smithville, TN in 2002. As a bead artist and teacher, my original patterns and designs have been published in Beadwork Magazine and Netted Beadwork by Diane Fitzgerald.
