City's Roving Art Cart rolls through area parks this summer with puppet shows
The Roving Art Cart is more than traveling tents and tables filled with paint, crayons and markers.
It’s a vehicle to reach a child’s imagination.
Artists from the city are available Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the summer as the roving art cart rolls into area parks giving youngsters the opportunity to express their creative side.
“The arts are a way to advance a child’s mind,” said Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey at Tuesday’s kick-off for the art cart in Allegheny Commons Park on the North Side. “Art reaches their inner feelings. Having artists here is wonderful. They are sharing their ministry, which is their love of art, with these kids.”
Artist Cheryl Capezzuti of Brighton Heights was working with little ones making paper mache finger puppets. She’s known for the larger-than-life puppets seen at the annual First Night Parade and many Pittsburgh events, most recently the EQT Children’s Theater Festival in May.
“It’s the summer of puppets,” said Capezzuti, as she was showing Maggie Jo Hoff, 4, of Whitehall, how to make a finger puppet.
Maggie loves art, her mom Jessica Anderson said. The little girl was enjoying getting her hands sticky from the glue and pasting pieces of red paper on the head of the animal puppet. She wanted to make a cat.
“This is perfect for her,” Anderson said. “She talks about art all the time.”
The puppets the kids make will be used for shows throughout the summer, Capezzuti said. Last year, Capezzuti showed the children how to make wearable puppet costumes. Those are available for kids to try on this summer.
The City of Pittsburgh Department of Parks and Recreation hosts the roving art cart. The city recently built a puppet theater that will travel to all the parks. Capezzuti made 15 hand puppets from recycled materials such as old seat cushions and sweatshirts.
There are benches the kids can sit on to watch the shows.
Throughout each park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be puppet shows. This year’s theme is “Find Your Voice.” There are four skits to teach kids about learning to speak up and stand up for themselves. Kellee Van Aken of Highland Park wrote the puppet shows. Ryan Deshyla Jordan, of Monessen, and Alexandra Hellinger, of Shaler, who both studied musical theater at Seton Hill University in Greensburg are the performers. They work with Puppets for Pittsburgh, Capezzuti’s interactive public art project.
“The puppet shows tell the story of the importance of being who you are and accepting everybody for who they are,” Capezzuti said. “It’s about being human and kind.”
When the puppet theater is not in use, the children are invited to use their imagination and do their own shows. Capezzuti created a giant puppet lending library that allows Pittsburghers to borrow big puppets.
A portion of the collection is housed at the Robinson Township Library and some at the Braddock Library.
Her art will also be showcased as part of a parade at the National Puppetry Festival and Symposium in July in College Park, Md. She is hosting two workshops at Falk Lab School, where she is a faculty member, to make look-alike puppets of famous American puppeteers for the parade. The theme of the festival is “Generations.” She received a grant from the Jim Henson Foundation.
“This summer of puppet joy” — as Capezzuti calls it — will conclude with a parade at CitiPark’s Alphabet Tales and Trails event in Frick Park on Sept. 9.
Capezzuti said the roving art cart is one of her favorite events because it brings art to everyone.
Mayor Gainey agreed.
“This right here is what keeps kids safe,” he said as he looked around at all the children doing arts and crafts. “It helps them grow.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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