Passion for Puppetry Is Evident in Gallery’s Hanging Holiday Exhibit

The Palos Verdes Art Center pulled some strings to come up with a holiday exhibit. In the Beckstrand Gallery, hundreds of cords dangle from the ceiling, and marionettes of all shapes and sizes, crafted in wood, plastic and metal, sit on vertical props. In addition, scores of hand puppets are decked out in brightly colored costumes, most of which were hand-stitched by former owners for television, movies and puppet theaters.

The international puppets, which will be at the gallery through Dec. 31, were collected by Alan Cook, a master puppeteer and historian. Cook has invested more than five decades into what he calls a passion for puppetry, collecting 2,000 pieces conservatively valued at $200,000. Of them, 120 were selected for the exhibit, which focuses on items connected to California and spans the era of the Gold Rush to modern-day Hollywood.

“It’s all the stuff you remember as a kid,” said Bill Kennedy of Rolling Hills Estates, zeroing in on a hand-carved Sonia Henie marionette. Clothed in a hand-stitched ice skating outfit, the Henie puppet appeared in several variety shows in Radio City Music Hall during the 1940s.

Cook and Jackee Marks, a puppeteer and member of the art center, spent months planning the exhibit, which was underwritten in part by the Puppeteers of America Inc. Setting up the exhibit involved two weeks of transporting the complicated inventory of rods, strings and movable parts from Cook’s home in North Hollywood to the gallery site. Cook and Marks then began the task of arranging and manipulating the puppets.

Among those on display are Phyllis Diller (1962), a hand puppet of the zany comedian with her trademark electrified coiffure and cigarette holder; the White Knight (1930s); Alice in Wonderland, crafted from hand-tooled metal and papier-mache; hand-carved Robin Hood characters (1920-30s); and a ballerina (1957) that appeared in “Dusty’s Treehouse” and other television shows.

Cook said he started using puppets because he was shy and inhibited as a child and was able to express himself through puppetry. At Pomona College, he studied art history, which eventually led him to a career in puppetry working for Sid & Marty Krofft Productions throughout the country. Over the years, Cook has taught puppetry and consulted and exhibited puppets for schools, museums and festivals.

He said he has tried to make the public more aware that puppets are a distinctive art form, and hopes eventually to have a puppet museum as a sanctuary for his collection.

“One of the problems of puppets is that they are dismissed as only of interest to children,” Cook said, “and yet, artists worth their salt have always loved them.”

The free exhibit is open Monday to Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Art Center, 5504 W. Crestridge Road in Rancho Palos Verdes. An artist’s reception will be from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, and Cook will teach a shadow-puppet workshop during the gallery’s Holiday Art Camp Dec. 19-22. To make reservations for the camp or for more information, call (310) 541-2479.

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