Model Killer, American Puppet Theater Today, New York

September 29 to October 10, 2021, a photograph from a workshop of Model Killer: Giant Crimes + Tiny Cover-ups was part of the exhibition, American Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine. The exhibit was presented by the Jim Henson Foundation at La MaMa Galleria in New York City.

The Exhibition

New York-based photographer Richard Termine has documented American Puppet Theater for over 30 years. Termine’s work captures the animated gesture of the puppet in still images. Over 100 images and objects in this exhibition illustrate the dynamic range of Puppet Theater being created by a vibrant community of artists in the New York City area, as well as some of the excellent work presented at National Puppet Festivals across the United States.

A special section, Puppetry During the Pandemic, celebrates resilient puppet artists who continued to create and perform new work through the past year.

“My training and work experience in puppet theater preceded my career as a photographer. It has shaped and guided my work with the camera.

My challenge as a photographer of puppet theater is to capture the animation of the puppet in a still image. To do that, I focus on the gestural life of the puppet, seeking to capture the “decisive moment” when the figure is most animated and a peak dramatic event is visualized.

Through the camera lens I am connected to the puppet and the puppeteer. I compose through the lens, and I feel a rich, creative exchange of energy as I shoot an art form I know and love.

Any photographer of theatrical performance is only as good as the artists they work with. It has been a blessing to collaborate with some of the most talented puppet artists in America and to capture their unique artistry.”

Richard Termine

The Jim Henson Foundation previously presented a version of the exhibition at the World Festival of Puppetry at in Charleville-Mézières, France in 2019

While working on the set of Sesame Street in New York City in the mid-1980s, Termine began photographing behind the scenes. This work led to a new career as a performing arts photographer. He has photographed many of the world’s leading performers and puppet artists. Currently, Richard is a photographer for the culture desk of The New York Times. His other clients include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and The Metropolitan Opera. He has been the in-house photographer for Sesame Street since 1988 and has been on the board of The Jim Henson Foundation since 1987, currently serving as the Foundation’s Vice President.

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Cheryl Henson – Foundation President and Exhibition Producer
Lindsey “Z.” Briggs – Foundation Manager and Exhibition Project Manager
Stefano Brancato – Exhibition Installation

Cheryl Henson became the President of the Foundation in 1992. Since it began, the Foundation has awarded over 1000 grants to more than 360 puppet artists for the creation, development, and presentation of new works of innovative contemporary puppet theater.

From 1992–2000, the Foundation produced the largest international festivals of puppet theater in the United States. Initially presented on the five stages of the Public Theater, the festival expanded to 24 stages including La MaMa, HERE Arts Center, and PS122 and presented 136 different productions from 31 countries. With Cheryl Henson as Executive Producer and Leslee Asch as Producing Director, the five festivals brought the best of contemporary puppetry from all over the world to New York audiences and garnered critical acclaim for puppet theater. The city continues to foster an extraordinarily dynamic creative community of puppet artists as well as a number of wonderful theaters committed to including puppetry in their seasons.

In addition to Artist Grants for the development of new works, the Foundation currently offers Presenters Grants to theaters in the New York City area, an annual residency at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and two international travel grants called the Allelu Award, named after founding board member Allelu Kurten. The Foundation is proud to present Richard Termine’s photographs, which include many Foundation grant recipients.

Founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, La MaMa is a home for artists of all identities, races, ages, and cultures. At La MaMa, artists are provided the space, support, and creative freedom to explore new forms of expression and to make new work.  

La MaMa builds audiences that are integral to the creative process. Their local and global community members who gather in their physical, digital, and hybrid spaces to see new work, are often the first audience for that work. The audience response helps to shape the evolution of the piece for the artist, and is an essential part of the creative ecosystem that La MaMa nurtures.  

La MaMa believes art is a force for change. Violence, discrimination, and systemic racism will not stop without a unified resistance. La MaMa is committed to battling bigotry and intolerance in all its forms, and to providing inclusive spaces for our local, national, and global community.