CAPE MAY – Imagine making a turtle from the materials that clog up waterways and harm marine animals such as Styrofoam and plastic sandwich containers.
Artist and teacher Janet Payne will offer a unique art camp during spring break vacation. She will teach “Puppets for a Purpose,” from April 5 to 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily at the Nature Center of Cape May. The program is for children ages nine and up.
The creatures created from recycled materials will be large puppets, the type you see in a parade. The term for the creations is radical puppets, which doesn’t mean Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street has endorsed public option health care. Puppets presenting a social message have a long history and may be best known from the work of the Bread and Puppet Theatre.
Puppeteer Bill Baird said, “Radical puppets encourage creative ideas that lead to understanding global and environmental aspects of society through the art of the puppet.”
In this workshop, students will creatively express their concern for the ocean environment and the human impact on the sea by creating radical giant puppets. The workshop emphasizes cooperative design and construction among students.
The puppets will be displayed at various nature center and community festivals throughout the year such as Harbor Fest, Coast Day and the West Cape May Christmas Parade.
At an earlier workshop, a giant turtle puppet was made from “Hula Hoops, Swiffer containers, take-out food containers and lots of duct tape.” Payne said she envisions a procession of giant sea creatures from events like the blessing of the waters at Harborfest.
She is hoping the class will make six large puppets such as a starfish, a horseshoe crab, a jellyfish and a whale. Payne said she likes to use shrink-wrap used to enclose boats in winter. The class will also make a banner for parades from plastic newspaper bags.
Part of the class is awareness of trash in the marine environment, which in many cases remains for very long periods of time. Payne has taught at Our Lady Star of the Sea School, West Cape May Elementary School and the Center for Community Arts.
Space for the workshop is limited; pre-registration is required. The workshop fee is $200, discounted to $150 for New Jersey Audubon members. The Nature Center may be contacted at (609) 898-8848.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
