We've written about the Northwest Puppet Center back in April, when they staged a Sicilian marionette show. Now they've landed the "World of Puppetry" collection, over 5,000 puppets strong, assembled by California collector Alan Cook. Included are works by internationally prominent puppeteers from the past few centuries. A panel of artists, consultants, and advisors considered institutions across the West Coast before selecting Seattle for the collecton's permanent home.
"See the world through wooden eyes," says Dmitri Carter, founder of the Northwest Puppet Center, naming puppets from Sicily, Romania, Greece, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, and Africa, many of which have puppet traditions recognized by UNESCO as "intangible cultural assets to humanity."
To introduce The Cook/Marks Collection, as it's formally known, Northwest Puppet Center has organized an exhibit at Seattle Center Pavilion B, next to the skateboard park.
If you go: Admission is free (though donations are appreciated). Gala opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday (July 23). The exhibit opens at 11 a.m. daily and runs through Sunday, Aug. 1. Closing hours vary; details here.
