Today I’m welcoming Georgina from Craftulate who is sharing her experience at the new Puppets! exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago. Georgina is a British mom living in the U.S. and she’s an amazing crafter. She writes about craft projects for kids as well as activities like pretend play, fine motor activities, and sensory activities. Georgina also blogs at Step Away from the Carbs and shares some amazing carb-free recipes.
The Art of Institute of Chicago has a fascinating new installation right now in the Ryan Education Center in the Modern Wing. It’s called Puppets! and gives children (and their parents!) an opportunity to create their own puppet, then try it out in either the puppet theatre, shadow puppet area, or behind a puppet cart.
Head for the Ryan Education Center to the left of the Modern Wing entrance – oh and guess what – you can visit for FREE!! You’ll need to pay entry if you want to visit the rest of the museum (unless you’re a member), but I love that families can come and take part in the puppet fun at no cost.
Pull up a chair in the Family Room and get creating! Do you want to create a finger puppet? Hand puppet? Shadow puppet? One made from a wooden spoon or a piece of wood? Making puppets is a great way to use recyclable items and The Art Institute totally embraces this!
If you don’t want to make your own there are plenty of puppets already there to have fun with. You can even upload a video of your puppets in action using hashtag #EnsorPuppets on Instagram or Twitter, and the videos will be displayed on the TV in the Family Room!
Now you might have noticed the hashtag there was Ensor Puppets. If you want to extend your visit then it is well worth a visit to the James Ensor exhibition that inspired the Puppets! installation. Ensor’s The Temptation of Saint Anthony is displayed magnificently in this exhibit, following a multiyear conservation project. Oh and don’t forget to pick up a sheet of temporary tattoos on your way out!
Puppets! is part of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival that runs from January 14-25, 2015. Don’t miss the Family Festival on Saturday January 17 from 10.30am to 3pm at the Ryan Education Center, or the Bullooney Puppetworks’ adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s Rikki Tikki Tavi – also on Saturday January 17 with shows at 11.30am, 1.30pm, and 3:00pm. Look out for the Puppet Bike on the streets of Chicago later this Spring, too!
The Puppets! exhibition runs until Saturday June 6, 2015. Use the Modern Wing entrance at 159 East Monroe Street for access to the Ryan Education Center, where admission is always free!
Want to have some puppet fun at home? Check out Georgina’s super cute Flapping Owl Puppet post on Craftulate!
[…] This craft was inspired by my visit earlier this week to the Puppets! interactive installation at The Art Institute of Chicago. See my full review on Toddling Around Chicagoland. […]