PHOTO BY LARRY RIPPEL | PITTSBURGH ARTIST CHERYL CAPEZZUTI POSES WITH SOME OF HER FAVORITE PUPPETS. HER PUPPETS FOR PITTSBURGH ART PROJECT WILL BE FEATURED AT CITIPARKS ROVING ART CART SESSIONS THIS SUMMER.

Pittsburgh artist Cheryl Capezzuti thrives on creating whimsical characters out of everyday materials.

Her colorful giant puppets have been entertaining local families for decades, and she is excited to see what children come up with this summer with the continuation of her largest public art project, Puppets for Pittsburgh.

“My goal through my work is to bring joy to everyday life,” Capezzuti says. “When people put on a giant puppet and become something else, it can become freeing and magical.”

The project will be part of the CitiParks Roving Art Cart from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays, beginning June 23 at the Schenley Oval in Oakland’s Schenley Park. Capezzuti will be joined by her artistic partner Kellee VanAken at the Roving Art Cart sessions.

“They will include four puppet shows for children about finding your voice in the world and speaking up,” she says. 

Capezzuti, 53, adds she finds inspiration in “the things that our world throws away and turning them into something that brings wonder into the world.”

The master teacher at the University of Pittsburgh’s Falk Laboratory School is also a sculptor and works mostly with dryer lint.

“I like to use all simple materials,” she adds. “My philosophy is that art should be cheap and accessible to everyone.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHERYL CAPEZZUTI | THE GIANT PUPPET DANCING CLUB WEARS PUPPETS MADE BY LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOLERS AT THE PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL DOWNTOWN ON MAY 21.

She says her puppets also boost confidence in children because they provide a sense of anonymity of “being hidden inside of this object.”

“It allows them to lose some inhibition and they find they aren’t afraid to dance with them on. It’s magical!” 

Capezzuti grew up in Hampton and always knew she wanted to be an artist. Upon graduation from Penn State University in the mid-1990s, she was an assistant for visiting puppeteer Sara Peattie of Boston.

“When I worked for Sara, I learned how to make a puppet and how to build things, make things and paint. There’s a theatrical quality to puppetry, which also appeals to me. While I was there, I helped make 12 puppets for a children’s parade.”

She moved back to Pittsburgh in 1996 with photos of her creations in tow.

“I showed them to everyone and told them I was a puppet maker. And they believed me,” she quips. “I became the giant puppet maker for the First Night parade in Downtown in 1998, and that has grown my place in the community.”

A collection of her giant puppets is usually housed in the Braddock Carnegie Library and in her Brighton Heights studio. The Braddock library is currently under renovation, so some of the puppets are available for library cardholders to check out of the Robinson Township Library.

She was also among several artists who brought joy to local residents during the pandemic by forming the Giant Puppet Dance Club on YouTube. Puppets were delivered to homes and people recorded themselves dancing in their creations.

Her talents are being sought by the Puppeteers of America for the National Puppetry Festival in College Park, Maryland, on July 18-22. She will be accompanied by four Pittsburgh students who will help her run a parade and perform.

“This year’s theme is generations, so I am working with a group of young puppeteers to create giant historic figures important to puppetry, like Jim Henson and Peter Schumann,” she says. “It’s an honor to have your peers in the national community of puppeteers to recognize your work.”

Capezzuti’s favorite puppets are always the ones she has just completed with her students. She adds she tries not to have more than 250 puppets circulating at any given time because they do have a lifespan. Once a puppet has reached its peak, it will be gathered up and used for spare parts.

“I also love the puppets the kids make; seeing their imaginations come to life through their puppet is always really delightful,” she says. “I’m interested in empowering young people to not be afraid to be joyful and do something out of the ordinary. I love to let them see the creative possibilities of our world.”