The East Hartford Public Library is a special place. I think part of why it is so special is because of the amazing staff of librarians who work here. My coworker Rolande is particularly wonderful. She is a professional puppeteer and introduced me to the art form that is puppetry. The artistry and care she puts into her creations inspires me. She also shares her love of puppetry with the library and its patrons, roping children and adults alike into this wonderful world she has created. Because of Rolande’s ability to include patrons in the creative process of puppetry, a very kind patron decided to build a puppet theatre for the library. He and his son came regularly to attend Rolande’s puppetry workshops and though this would be a great addition to our space — and he was right!
Here is a look at the theatre unpainted and only primed. He had a local woman make the curtains and also make some backdrops. It really was a marvel even unpainted.
As the “resident Makerspace artist” it became my job to paint the theatre, and I was more than up to the task. I asked Rolande for a jumping off point: what should my inspiration be for the theatre’s design? She told me about 19th century toy theaters, but she didn’t want any people in the designs. “What about animals?” I blurted out. Rolande loved the idea, so I ran with it. But first, I had to do some research.
Above is all of the reference photos I gathered before thinking about my design. The toy theaters in the 19th century were typically made out of paperboard, featuring a small stage, a proscenium arch, and the ensemble at the bottom part below the stage. I was inspired by the simplicity of the characters designs and the beauty of the details in the stage. I figured, why not make a band of animals? I made a list of all the cool animals I could think of and all instruments that would be in an orchestra and matched them together.
Above are my sketches for the theatre. I measured the bottom area that I would have to paint and recreated the exact measurements on a piece of paper I cut and taped together. Once I was happy with the final design…
… I started drawing it in pencil on the bottom of the theatre. I decided to do columns on the side like some of the other toy theaters I looked at while researching. Below are some pictures I took during painting. I used acrylic paint on everything, using multiple coats.
The finished product!
Above are close ups of the animal orchestra paintings. I had a lot of fun with this project and I think it turned out so well! My favorite musician is the owl. :)