Merry marionettes.

In addition to teaching a full load of classes to over 600 middle school students a year, I'm also the advisor to our school's art club. There are days (as I get older!) when supervising art club seems like an extra chore, yet as soon as the students walk in the door, their enthusiastic vibe revives me. They want to be here.

To keep things fresh, I plan one overriding goal for each semester: to enter a contest, have an art opening, plan a community project, or even just experiment with new materials. Art club has become my testing ground for new projects, a time to explore and work out the kinks. Art club has approximately twenty-five members and is held once a week after school for forty-five minutes.

Students are enthusiastic about working independently, however, their art skills can range between limited to advanced, so instruction is still frequently needed. Since projects may last six weeks or more, I encourage students to commit themselves to the completion of a project.

One of our more involved art club lessons was marionettes. One given to me in my youth intrigued me; the thought of building one intimidated me. I searched out my own marionette, (untangled it) and figured out a process for my students to follow so they could make one. Making a prototype is a good idea so one can foresee any challenges the students may have.

Before we started, I made it clear a lot of problem solving would be required. Students were required to purchase some materials, such as cloth, seam tape, and small 1" (2.5 cm) long eye screws. I provided the rest of the materials. After examining my marionettes, students sketched a variety of ideas to prepare for the building process.

Head, Hands, and Feet

The first step was to create the head, hands, and feet of the marionette. Air-dry clay that hardens in twenty-four hours was used. Attention was given to creating a unique head about the size of a small orange. Hands and feet needed to be thick enough to eventually insert eye screws into them.

To slow the drying process, I placed a large plastic garbage bag over the shelf where the pieces were stored. This part of the project, including introduction, brainstorming, demonstration, and building, took two or three sessions. Students took another session to paint the heads, feet, and hands with acrylic paint.

Adding Clothing

In order to facilitate the making of the clothes, I created simple paper templates for students to use. Clothes were sized to fit over a wood block that would become the torso of the marionette. Patterns could be adjusted a bit: a shirt could be lengthened to become a dress; legs could be pants. I showed the students how to lay out the templates on their fabric, first making sure the fabric was folded with printed sides facing together.

Since we didn't have access to sewing machines in the classroom, we planned to use iron-on seam tape to connect seams together. For cotton blends, this worked well. For heavy fabrics or simulated fur, sewing proved better and was done by the students at home.

Assembling the Marionette

Prior to assembling the body, a colleague cut scrap wood into 3 x 5" blocks for the torsos of the marionettes. Holding the block vertically, students hot glued the waistband of the pants around the bottom half of the wood block. Shirts were placed over the top of the block and were long enough to cover the waistband of the pants. The hands and feet were glued into the arm and leg openings at the end of the shirt and pants. Small eye screws were screwed (and also glued) into the top of the feet and hands.

The attachment of the head could be done in two ways. The first way prevents the head from moving or turning, but it is easier for some students to do: simply hot glue the head to the top edge of the wooden block near the neckline of the shirt. Insert and glue an eye screw into the top of the head.

A second way is to insert an eye screw into the top edge of the wooden block and also into the top and bottom of the head. Glue the screws into the head to ensure their stability and strength. Overlap the bottom hook of the head and the hook in the block and wire them together.

Stringing the Puppet

The colleague who cut the blocks also cut dowels 6" (15 cm) long, 1/2" (1 cm) thick and secured them in a traditional cross format so we could later string and hold our marionettes. Small holes were drilled into the end of the dowels with a rotary cutting tool so students would be able to insert four eye screws. Through these screws, strings would be attached.

Don't be afraid to seek help, for there are many generous parents and colleagues who are willing to help, especially when they see how excited students are about their projects. Collaborating with a language teacher is a definite possibility since this could also provide an opportunity for students to write a short story or play to perform.

Since all of the marionettes were of similar size, the length of the strings could be pre-determined to a degree. I cut and taped to the table the length of the three strings that would need to be cut. Students were able to measure out and cut the strings and begin stringing according to a diagram I had drawn on the board. It was helpful for students to first attach the head. Stringing the legs and arms completed the puppet. Having the prototype available was helpful throughout the entire process.

Independent Problem Solving

While students were making their marionettes, they were also problem solving and brainstorming ways to make their ideas more unique. One student fashioned skis out of plastic strips and attached them with Velcro to the bottom of the puppet's feet. He also made goggles using dark, heavy acetate. Two other students coordinated their marionettes--Napoleon the dog and Marie Antoinette the cat. Their costumes were period perfect!

I was so impressed with the students who demonstrated independent problem solving throughout this ten-week process that I created a small wooden puppet theatre, complete with curtains, in which to display the puppets.

NATIONAL STANDARD

Students intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of their experiences and ideas.

WEB LINK

www.sagecraft.com/puppetry/building

Materials

* wooden blocks,
  approximately 3 x 5"
  (7.5 x 13 cm)
* air dry clay
* fabric
* wooden dowels
* string
* 1" long eye screws,
  11 per student
* glue guns
* assorted decorative
  accessories (buttons,
  gems, lace, felt, etc.)
* acrylic paint
* patterns for clothes
* seam tape
* iron
* use of rotary cutting tool
or drill

Mary Coy teaches art at Spry Middle School in Webster, New York and is a contributing editor for SchoolArts. [e-mail]