Center for Puppetry Arts

What if puppets could talk? What secrets would they whisper from their felt lips and wooden limbs? Here at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, those secrets come alive. The Center for Puppetry Arts isn’t just a museum. It’s a living, breathing testament to the power of puppetry, a place where strings and imagination intertwine. Founded in 1978 by Vincent Anthony, this vibrant hub stands as the largest organization in the United States dedicated to this captivating art form. The Center for Puppetry Arts pulses with life, split into three distinct yet interconnected parts: performance, education, and museum. Imagine watching a performance of “The Shoemaker & The Elves,” reimagined in 1940s Manhattan. Or perhaps the spooky delights of “The Ghastly Dreadfuls’ Compendium of Graveyard Tales” tickle your fancy. The Center for Puppetry Arts also offers a “New Directions Series” for adults and teens, featuring visually striking and thought-provoking puppetry. Beyond the stage, the educational programs invite you to delve deeper, from creating your own puppet in a workshop to exploring the intricacies of puppet manipulation. And then there’s the museum. Here, within the Worlds of Puppetry Museum, you can encounter a piece of puppetry history. A vast collection of Jim Henson’s creations, including Kermit, Miss Piggy, and characters from Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and The Dark Crystal, reside here. Not only that, but the museum boasts a global collection, spanning continents and cultures, showcasing the diverse and rich history of puppetry from around the world. From the ancient traditions of shadow puppets in Asia to the vibrant colors of African marionettes, the Center for Puppetry Arts presents a world of stories waiting to be told. The Center for Puppetry Arts is more than a building. It’s a portal to a world where imagination takes center stage and puppets whisper secrets of history, culture, and the boundless creativity of the human spirit.