Portraits of Black life, as told through puppets
`Spirit of Play: Craft and Imagination' stars a `family of idiosyncratic characters'
When puppets speak, people listen, says artist, educator and puppeteer Schroeder Cherry.
Cherry uses puppet play to teach people about the U.S. African diaspora. Organizers of his new “Spirit of Play: Craft and Imagination” exhibit, featured at the Craft in America nonprofit center in Beverly Grove, say that Cherry uses the “disarming quality” of play to both educate and engage viewers. His “family of idiosyncratic characters” tackles topics like the history of slavery and contemporary life in America as a Black person.
The new Los Angeles exhibit — now running through Saturday — showcases realistic-looking puppets and assemblage to educate both children and adults about Black culture and history in the U.S.
Cherry's puppet characters span different personalities and social roles, and his performance blends contemporary and traditional themes and events of the African diaspora, organizers said — ultimately highlighting systemic racism still present today.
Exhibit curator Emily Zaiden selected work from artists that celebrate “the power of imagination, big ideas, craft ingenuity, and the child in all of us.”
“Schroeder sees how objects in our everyday world reflect who we are as people. In taking all of these familiar objects and applying them to his artworks, it makes the stories that he is telling very personal, real, identifiable and tangible.”
It's also the first major L.A. exhibit for Baltimore-based Cherry, who found that “many Black children have not seen a puppet that looks like them, and
so their message can carry more weight.”
“With play, you are relaxed enough to be able to receive information, even if it's subconsciously; you'll be able to absorb information much more easily,” Cherry said. “I would hope visitors take away a strong sense of wonder, and be encouraged to try something new. Black culture is all about imagining something creative and new.”
“Spirit of Play” draws on the work of artists in this year's releases of the PBS series Craft in America: PLAY and MINIATURES. Other participating artists include miniaturist Mark Murphy, paper sculptor Roberto Benavidez, Piñata artist Lorena Robletto, and educator Calder Kamin.
The Craft in America center is located at 8415 W. Third St., Los Angeles, and is open Tuesday-Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.
More info and virtual gallery: craftinamerica.org/exhibition/play-craft-and-imagination