Northwest Puppet Center

Final weekend for “R. Bruce Inverarity: Northwest Modernist” at Cascadia Art Museum. This exhibit showcases the broad range of artwork created by Inverarity including prints, paintings, drawings and puppets. Special thanks to Curator David Martin for reaching out to Northwest Puppet Center and including a bunch of historic puppets from the 1920s and 1930s, many of which are being seen by the public for the first time in decades!

Photos:

Various puppets circa 1929-1936
Made by R.B. Inverarity
On loan from Northwest Puppet Center
Mostly from The Aurora Valentinetti Collection
A few from The Dmitri Carter Collection

Did you know that shepherds around Naples were known for performing music and puppetry when they weren’t up in the mountains tending their flocks?

Don’t miss Northwest Puppet Center’s exhibit of Italian puppetry which ends at the end of this month!

Saturdays 12-4pm
Sundays 12-4pm
Closes at the end of May 2026

Image:
Zampognaro
Original print from 1851
By Gatti & Dura
Northwest Puppet Center
The Cook/Marks Collection

The New York Times instructs readers on “How to be cultured” with an introduction to six puppet traditions.

Did you know that Northwest Puppet Center is one of the few places in the country to have all of these traditions in our collections?

For those wanting to become more cultured, plan your visit to see the puppets! Learn about these six traditions and many other wonderful traditions from around the world!

Photo:
Taiwanese Hand Puppet
Mid 20th century
The Aurora Valentinetti Collection
Northwest Puppet Center

During the early 19th century, Bartolomeo Pinelli frequently went to puppet shows and depicted what he experienced in his artwork. Here is one of his engravings with Pulcinella entertaining a small crowd in the piazza. To learn more about puppet history in Italy, stop by the current exhibit at Northwest Puppet Center. Open 12-4pm Saturdays and Sundays through the end of May 2026.

Il Casotto dei Burattini in Roma c. 1810
Bartolomeo Pinelli (1781–1835)
The Cook/Marks Collection
Northwest Puppet Center