Northwest Puppet Center

During the early 19th century, Bartolomeo Pinelli frequently went to puppet shows and depicted what he experienced in his artwork. Here is one of his engravings with Pulcinella entertaining a small crowd in the piazza. To learn more about puppet history in Italy, stop by the current exhibit at Northwest Puppet Center. Open 12-4pm Saturdays and Sundays through the end of May 2026.

Il Casotto dei Burattini in Roma c. 1810
Bartolomeo Pinelli (1781–1835)
The Cook/Marks Collection
Northwest Puppet Center

Along with our FREE exhibit in Seattle at Northwest Puppet Center, we are excited to be bringing puppetry across the country and around the world this year! If you would like to support these endeavors, GiveBIG is already open for early gifts.

https://www.wagives.org/donate/northwest-puppet-center

Thanks for your consideration and support! If you are not in a position to make a donation right now, you can still help by giving us a like or sharing our post!

Photo:

Preparation for upcoming exhibit in Taiwan
Devil Marionette
By Roberta Mack
The Cook/Marks Collection
Northwest Puppet Center

Happy World Day of Puppetry!
A day established by UNIMA Internationale to celebrate this unique art.

Here are some historic marionettes from one of the most famous stories about a puppet. In 1881, the character was created by Carlo Collodi and the episodic adventures were first compiled as a book in 1883. But we aren’t going to recap the adventures of Pinocchio which you can find elsewhere because the story of the artists is also intriguing so we will share some historic tidbits.

After studying puppetry with Ellen Van Volkenburg at Cornish College of the Arts, Robert Bruce Inverarity moved to the bigger campus in town and established the University of Washington Puppetry Department. In 1941, UW began working on their production of “Pinocchio” but duty called and Inverarity became Chief of Camouflage for the U.S. Navy. Alanson Davis stepped in briefly but was also drafted. In 1945, Davis apparently helped reclaim an office in Shanghai which had been converted into Japanese Secret Police Headquarters! Meanwhile, Professor Aurora Valentinetti decided “the show must go on” and she ran the UW Puppetry Program from 1942-1992. This production of “Pinocchio” was the first show she directed at UW.

Photos from Northwest Puppet Center’s current exhibit:
“Northwest Focus: Puppetry in the Pacific NW”

Marionettes from UW’s “Pinocchio”
Made around 1941
Debut in 1942
Made by Alanson Davis (1909-1976)
Directed by Aurora Valentinetti (1921-2022)
Donated by Aurora Valentinetti with special thanks to her family

We dedicate this exhibit to Aurora Valentinetti and Jean Enticknap, each of whom were vital members of our local puppetry community and dedicated their careers to this art in their own ways.