Name/Title
Puppet Theater History: Bendix LetterEntry/Object ID
17.25.1Description
Material: paper. Size: 6" x 9". Description: The image shows a handwritten letter dated October 8, 2021, detailing the writer's involvement with creating a puppet stage, in the 1970s or 1980s inspired by Art Deco design.Context
The author/artist/donor taught children's art classes at the Waseca public library and graduated in art from Hamline University in 1960. A group led by Bendix worked with Mark Buley, a skilled craftsman, and designed a library's mobile van using Art Deco lettering. The writer completed a master's in Studio Arts at MSU in 1971, creating Art Deco-inspired paintings. The handwritten letter also describes the influence of Donald Deskey, a famous interior designer from Blue Earth, Minnesota, known for his work on Radio City Hall in New York City, and notes how his dramatic big city Art Deco style was humorously echoed in the children's puppet theater built in Waseca, MN, with motifs like stars and fountains. The writer recalls having fun with the project, mentioning that Henry and Oliver Youngberg were photographed peeking out of the curtain in the 1990s in one of the accompanying photographs.Cataloged By
PfenLexicon
Legacy Lexicon
Class
Documentary ArtifactCategory
Communication ArtifactsLetter Details
Postmark
Date and Time of Postmark
October 8, 2021Create Date
May 1, 2025Update Date
May 1, 2025
