From the Earth to the Moon

We recently welcomed a new display to our marionette case, From the Earth to the Moon, created by AmeriCorps Museum Educators Suzie Doogan and Andy Axel. They described their inspiration as they worked with the Museum’s collection of Betty Huestis marionettes.

“When we looked at the marionette collection, we wondered where these guys could go that they haven’t already gone. What is some place that is mysterious and cool that could bring these characters together? The moon!

We wanted to stay true to the time period [when Betty created the marionettes] and had two different inspirations drawn from the same era that led us to the moon. Andy was inspired by the early silent film “A Voyage to the Moon” by George Méliès. Suzie was inspired by Salvador Dali's surrealist landscapes and also by the film “The Blood of a Poet” by Jean Cocteau. We liked the romance of the moon before people had actually gone to it, the loneliness and mystery associated with it, and its openness to different interpretations as a symbol of many human things.

At first we wanted it all to be on the moon, but then a journey was more exciting. We built a moon, then the Earth. A spotted dog, a butterfly, and a boy on a homemade rocket go to the moon. A painter stays on Earth and paints the moon. A green man, Humpty Dumpty, and a smiling ghost are already there.

We wanted to put in things that weren’t 100% explainable so people would have to admit that they don’t know everything. So we put in a hanging key and also a prehistoric horse that looks like a dinosaur robot. The key can mean different things to different people."

Join the puppets on their journey next time you’re at the Museum.  Click here to learn about our previous marionette displays.