Muskegon Museum of Art
Muskegon, MI
231-720-2570
Punch's Progress
September 7 - October 22, 2000
"Punch's Progress," a traveling exhibition organized by the
Detroit Institute of Arts, traces the changing faces and forms of American
puppetry between 1850 and 1950 by presenting examples from one of America's
best collection of historic and contemporary puppets -- the DIA's Paul McPharlin
Collection of Puppetry and Theater Arts. The Muskegon Museum of Art is the
first Michigan venue for the exhibition. (left: Frank Paris, Josephne
Baker, 1937, marionette, © The Detroit Institute of Arts, no reproduction
allowed, 55.470)
The five major American puppet traditions during the period
1850-1950 are 
represented
in this exhibition:: folk puppets, music hall or vaudeville puppets, avant-garde
or experimental puppetry from the early twentieth century, cabaret (nightclub)
puppetry from the 1930s/1940s, and television puppets from the 1940s. Included
will be marionettes, rod, hand, and shadow puppets, as well as memorabilia,
drawings, and prints, which illustrate the significance of American puppetry
and puppeteers. (right: Anonymous, Punch, hand puppet, late
19th century, © The Detroit Institute of Arts, no reproduction allowed,
52.322)
Paul
McPharlin (1903-1948) was himself a noted puppeteer and was considered by
most experts to be the greatest authority on the subject of marionettes
during the first half of the twentieth century. A writer and illustrator
of two dozen books on marionettes, he came to national attention for his
marionette exhibition at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. McPharlin assembled
his puppet collection over a twenty-year period; his collection came to
the DIA in 1951 as a gift from Mr. and Mrs. W. H. McPharlin and Mrs. Marjorie
Batchelder McPharlin. (left: Michael Carmichael Carr, Dancer,
c. 1914, marionette, © The Detroit Institute of Arts, no reproduction
allowed, 58.10)
This exhibition was organized by the Detroit Institute
of Art and is supported by a 
generous grant from the Consumers Energy Foundation.
Additional support for the traveling exhibition has been provided by the
Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the City of Detroit.
(right: Alfred Wallace, The Tired World, 1950, rod puppet, ©
The Detroit Institute of Arts, no reproduction allowed, 56.7)
A special reception for Punch's Progress on October
8 will include performances by Detroit's PuppetART - American Russian Theatre
at 2:00 and 3:30 p.m. Admission to the reception is free and refreshments
will be provided. PuppetART has been funded by a grant from the Youth Advisory
Council of the Community Foundation for Muskegon County.
Read more about the Muskegon
Museum of Art in Resource Library Magazine
Please click on thumbnail images bordered by a red line
to see enlargements.
This page was originally published in Resource
Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for
more information. rev. 3/23/11
Search Resource
Library for thousands of articles and essays on American art.
Copyright 2011 Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation. All rights
reserved.
"Punch's Progress," a traveling exhibition organized by the
Detroit Institute of Arts, traces the changing faces and forms of American
puppetry between 1850 and 1950 by presenting examples from one of America's
best collection of historic and contemporary puppets -- the DIA's Paul McPharlin
Collection of Puppetry and Theater Arts. The Muskegon Museum of Art is the
first Michigan venue for the exhibition. (left: Frank Paris, Josephne
Baker, 1937, marionette, © The Detroit Institute of Arts, no reproduction
allowed, 55.470)
