Be Inspired 

Happy New Year 2024!

It is sometimes hard to wish the best when we know how much suffering is happening around the world. Yet, I still believe that doing so is putting us in a positive mindset that helps us to continue to move on, to create and bring some joy around us.

It is the end of January, I am finally home after quite some adventures. Beside catching a nasty Covid while traveling or not being able to go home because of broken planes, I have to say that between the Arizona's deserts, Los Angeles' colors and Chicago's International puppet theater festival, I am feeling very inspired! I am ready to settle down for a while and work on all the projects to come. Time to take my tools and start making again!

So I would like to wish you all an inspired year, whatever comes your way.

What happend

In early November Forrest Andresen and I, had a great outdoor event with music, shadow projections, great food and nice fire pits to keep people warm. Presented by the Lemonade Stand, the community showed great support and we even got a nice footage from Bryan Whitten.

Education: Last fall, I spent over a month as a teaching artist in one of our local high-school, working with students from the engineering and the art classes to make a series of puppets for their school music department performance: "Shrek the Musical". Rats, gingy puppets, a bird and a giant dragon were on the list of puppets to make. The goal was to include other students, who are usually not part of the performance (like the singers, music players or performers), into that project. The puppetry piece was sponsored by Fairbanks Art Association and Lathrop High School.

Theater productions need a lot of hand, many whom are behind the curtain yet vital to make it happen (think costume designer/maker, light designer, set designer/builder/painter, etc. ). So, integrating other students in the making of the puppets was not only a way to teach them some things about puppetry but also to have them vested into this larger school project and have a better understanding of what is in play when making puppets for a production.

The show was a hit, with beautiful voices, costumes and stage design! And the puppets did fit right in!

(Stage images by Todd Paris)

To Be

Performance in Anchorage ! Moving through the Boreal Forest got invited at the Out North Fringe Festival in Anchorage. We will be performing at the Nave on April 19 and 20. We plan to have a workshop during the day on the 20th with the participants being then invited that evening to participate in the concert. So if you are in Anchorage or know people there, let them know.

Puppet camp ! Our Outdoor puppet camps will resume this summer. The goal is to explore a variety of puppets and develop a short play to present to parents and friends. Info and Pre-registration will soon be available on my website. Announcements will be mainly through my social media. So, if you are receiving this letter, are interested, and don't follow me on FB or Instagram, then send me an email and I'll send you a personal reminder when the info is up.

Puppet movie: The "Elvel" puppet movie project continues its adventure (you can learn more about the project in my previous letters). While parts and pieces are being made in Canada by the other members of the team, I am very thankful to have received the Booshever Award from the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation to work on the first part of the movie, in shadow. This will be my focus on these next few months, before going back to Victoria B.C in July for filming the other parts.

It is particularly important to receive funding for the development of artistic projects, in order to put the right amount of time in it. It is even more so when the end product is not for sale, similarly to the grants that scientists ask for their research project. Yet, I don't see as many options for artists. So when an institution support your work, it is really something to celebrate!

 I plan to only send you a letter twice a year, with some updates on what is happening with CHAKPuppetry! If there is something you would be particularly interested, let me know and I might integrate a new column.  

For regular updates, Instagram and Facebook are still my go to platform. 

You received this letter because you either signed up for it, participated in one of my workshops, or showed regular interest. You can unsubscribed at any time, of course.

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