SHOW OF HANDS
Puppet Festival

Visionaries + Voices presents: SHOW OF HANDS Puppet Festival was a raucous celebration of experimental puppetry and storytelling for all ages, abilities, and experience levels. Beginning September 1, 2023, a six-week workshop series introduced the scope and possibilities of puppetry through hands-on learning, exploration, and play. Puppetry artists and Visionaries + Voices teaching artists co-led free workshops throughout the city. The festival culminated October 11-14, 2023, in boisterous performances, a gallery exhibition, a puppet cabaret, an energetic giant puppet parade through Camp Washington, and SHOW OF HANDS Puppet Slam, a showcase of original short-form puppet performances by workshop participants. The festival centered the artistic community at V+ V and gave artists with disabilities a platform to teach, perform, and exhibit art.

WORKSHOPS

Partner arts organizations across Cincinnati hosted free hands-on puppetry workshops, engaging neighborhood residents to learn new skills and forming a network of artists, residents, and arts organizations. Each workshop took place in a different neighborhood, was free to participants, and was accessible to all abilities. Teaching artists from diverse creative backgrounds, including V+V artists, co-led workshops featuring various puppetry styles and adaptive art-making techniques. Partner arts organizations that hosted SHOW OF HANDS workshops include Cincinnati Art Museum REC, Contemporary Arts Center Creativity Center, WordPlay Cincy, Wave Pool, The Welcome Project, PAR-Projects, and (DSGN)CLLCTV.

GALLERY EXHIBITION AND OPENING

SHOW OF HANDS Puppet Exhibition at Visionaries+Voices Northside Gallery featured puppets, objects, film, and ephemera from artists at V+ V and regional puppetry artists including Pam Kravetz, Jay Bolotin, and Jesse Mooney-Bullock. The exhibit highlighted experimental forms of puppetry and included a library of puppetry resources. At the exhibition opening on October 12, 2023, Cincinnati native Emily Schubert performed UPA or the Unflappable Aunt Pat, a documentary-style shadow play, which over 75 people attended. This exhibition was curated by Lizzy DuQuette and Morgan McKnight and ran October 10, 2023 - November 22, 2023.

COLLABORATION with Cincinnati's Table

On October 11, 2023, SHOW OF HANDS Puppet Festival teamed up with Cincinnati's Table and The Welcome Project to present a community dinner, talk, performance, and workshop at the American Sign Museum. Chef Fabiola Rodriguez from Michoacan, Mexico shared a homemade dinner. Puppeteer Sofía Padilla from Mexico City premiered Belong, a puppet show about her immigration experience, and taught an overhead projector shadow puppetry workshop. Attorney Erin Patterson and BIA Accredited Representative Mayra Casas Jackson from the Immigrant and Refugee Law Center spoke about immigration challenges.

SHOW OF HANDS Puppet Slam

Workshop participants shared their newly created short-form puppet shows in the SHOW OF HANDS Puppet Slam, a high-energy, supportive, celebratory puppetry showcase hosted by Pam Kravetz. Fifteen puppeteers, some brand new to puppetry and some professional puppeteers, performed ten acts. Each act was cheered on by the diverse audience with handmade instruments and noisemakers. Puppeteer Tom Lee performed and taught a workshop on traditional Japanese puppetry.

SHOW OF HANDS Puppet Cabaret

In addition to the Puppet Slam, workshop participants were invited to present their new experimental puppet shows in a showcase for an adult audience hosted by drag performer Suzie Homewrecker. Fifteen puppeteers, some brand new to puppetry and some professional puppeteers, performed 8 acts. The performers were cheered on by a packed house in a boisterous and wild celebration.

SHOW OF HANDS Giant Puppet Parade

The festival concluded with the SHOW OF HANDS Giant Puppet Parade, a celebration for workshop participants, community artists, V+V artists, and anyone nearby. Participants paraded the streets of Camp Washington with the Camp Washington Heavy Metal band and invited onlookers to join the parade.

Videography and editing by Justin Warrick

EYEBROWS by Renee Martin and Jon Flannery at the SHOW OF HANDS Puppet Slam at The Well on October 14th, 2023.

Read about Visionaries + Voices presents SHOW OF HANDS Puppet Festival in AEQAI.