Not Just a Kid: An Exploration of Childhood in the United States Through Puppets

The ALab in the Department of Anthropology invites you to the opening reception of the exhibition by Angela Clark, “Not Just a Kid: An Exploration of Childhood in the United States Through Puppets” on October 9 (Friday), 12:30pm at Schleman 300. Lunch will be served at the opening. The exhibit will be open on weekdays from noon-2PM, until October 23rd.

About the exhibit: The hegemonic thought about childhood in the United States is that children are not whole persons as they are yet to become the idealized form of adult. Hegemonic notions of time dictate that children are yet to be considered “worthy” as they are expected to mold themselves into their culture’s expectations, while not yet being seen as a valid community member. This exhibit critiques the damaging notion that children are simply “human becomings” by exploring their unique relationship to hierarchical paradigms. Children are often overlooked in conversations about systemic injustice, so working within The ALab’s mission to decolonize research, this exhibit utilizes puppets as an approachable and flexible artform to explore childhood through a decolonial lens.

Artist Bio: Angela Clark (she/her), is a third year Purdue undergraduate student. She is an intern with The ALab, studying Anthropology and Development and Family Science, and currently exploring Western colonial attitudes towards childhood, childism, and children as a marginalized group in the United States. She is a puppet maker and uses puppets as a medium for multimodal research. Her puppets have been shown in community theater productions as well as educational spaces as a tool of artistic and academic expression.

If you are interested in showing the exhibit to your students outside the above-mentioned open hours, please feel free to email Angela Clark at [email protected] to arrange a visit.