This summer, the Leiber Collection invites you to step into a world of whimsy, creativity, and motion with Animated by Art, a captivating marionette-making workshop series led by master marionette artist Kim Profaci.
This immersive four-part series offers participants a unique opportunity to explore the enchanting world of puppetry, where fine art, fashion, and performance come together in one magical experience. Whether you’re a seasoned artist, an aspiring puppeteer, or simply a curious creator, this hands-on workshop will inspire your imagination and awaken your creative spirit.
Workshop Schedule
Sunday, July 20: Create Your Marionette
Unleash your inner artist as you design and build your own marionette, drawing inspiration from Gerson Leiber’s vibrant fashion paintings and Judith Leiber’s iconic, whimsical handbags.
Sunday, July 27: Costume Creation
Stitch, drape, and embellish! Bring your marionette’s personality to life through custom costume design using fabric, color, and flair.
Sunday, August 3: Movement Magic
Learn the art of marionette manipulation, from delicate gestures to expressive motion, as your puppet comes alive in your hands.
Sunday, August 17: Showcase Presentation
Take center stage! Share your marionette and its story in a joyful final showcase for family, friends, and the community.
This magical experience celebrates the intersection of art, fashion, and storytelling, all set against the backdrop of the Leiber Collection’s stunning museum and sculpture garden.
About Kim
Kim Profaci and The Modern Marionette Company have been capturing the imaginations of the young and the old, and everyone in between, for over twenty years.
The craft of puppet-making and the art of teaching and performing come naturally to Kim. She was raised in Irvington, New York, in a highly creative family of artists and educators. She earned her bachelor’s in English from Boston College and her master’s in education from Fordham University. And in modern dance class, she developed a fascination with movement and an understanding of body language and nuance central to puppetry.
Kim envisions and builds the puppets, props, and sets using every imaginable resource. Driftwood becomes a puppet’s limbs, blades of grass morph into a praying mantis, and scarves take on a life of their own. She adapts classic stories, such as Tomie DePaola’s Strega Nona, and has developed her own take on music legend Elvis Presley. With the right inspiration, Kim and her marionettes can bring magic to any character and tell any tale. As she says, “It’s a great joy for me to inspire children to want to create for themselves. And to watch adults look on with a sense of wonder is a special experience all its own.”
Modern Marionette is based in New Jersey and Long Island, NY, and is available to perform and present hands-on workshops at schools, museums, libraries, and community events. Audiences range from very young children who fall in love with the puppets to memory care residents who respond to the music and the storytelling with remarkable vigor. www.modernmarionette.com.
Cost:
$400 for the four-week series
