Puppetry is a form of art, but who knew that puppets could also be used to express spirituality and religion? On Oct. 10, The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry hosted a forum led by Museum Director John Bell and two guests, Claudia Orenstein and Tim Cusack, regarding the two volumes of their work, “Puppet and Spirit: Ritual Religion and Performing Objects.” The forum covered the newly released second volume, as well as what both volumes entail and their differences.
John Bell, author and professor of performing arts, started the event by introducing the two guests before giving them the floor to discuss their books. The first volume, titled “Sacred Roots: Material Entities, Consecrating Acts, Priestly Puppeteers,” focuses on established traditions and religious contexts, while the second one, titled “Contemporary Branchings: Secular Benedictions, Activated Energies, Uncanny Faiths,” is about connecting with spirituality. Both provide a connection to the present time but in different ways.
Because there was so much that Cusack and Orenstein wanted to include, they decided to write two volumes instead of cutting things out for just one. Orenstein described the process as “a lot of work” — however, after attending the event and listening to Cusack and Orenstein talk about the volumes, I understand why they chose to do so. There is so much about the art of puppetry and its significance that still proves its importance today.
Puppetry has — and continues to — connect with the spiritual and religious world. Whether they are used to present a cultural story, displayed in rituals, or central in teachings, as Orenstein and Cusack talked about throughout the forum, puppets have a varied usage. There are five sections within each book, so they decided to switch back and forth between each section in each volume. They talk about what each section entails and give numerous examples of puppetry in a spiritual and religious context. For example, the first section of the first book is about Shamanic lineages of puppets and looks at their different uses in Korean Shaman ritual.
After discussing the five sections of both volumes, the forum moved to the Q&A portion. When asked what they would have liked to include in these two volumes that they were not able to, Cusack did not hesitate to come up with an answer: “Mainland Indigenous, North America, we have a Polynesian culture, but we were not able to get someone from this continent’s Indigenous population, I still regret that.”
Not only does this show their genuine care for these books and informing others, but it also displays how puppetry is an art used everywhere. Cusack and Orenstein’s books are very informative, yet they still find places where they could add more.
When asked what stood out to them the most from this event, Sam Kaszas, a first-semester puppet arts major, said, “Just the sheer amount where they had to have two volumes, there are all these people that are like ‘yup, I got an essay,’” agreeing to the amount of effort these two books took to compile.
If you do not know much about puppetry, I would strongly recommend attending one of these events as it transforms your knowledge of it. “Usually in Western culture, we just think about puppetry as being entertainment and being for kids, but then when you look out on a wider scale, it’s usually always religious like in so many other countries it’s related to religion,” says Gail Bennett, a first-semester puppet arts major.
Furthermore, going to these events can give you ideas of some of the different ways we show spirituality and religion, as well as how they are important to other cultures. “I think it’s good to expand your horizons and be aware of things that you don’t necessarily believe — like I am not a spiritual person at all, but I want to hear about people’s spiritual experiences,” said Kaszas when asked why they chose to attend this event.
The event concluded with treats such as cookies and some hot tea. Although audience members were invited to help themselves during the event, everyone waited until the end because of how engaging the forum was.