Ash Lusietto

Hand-Operated Puppets

August 16 - 19, 2026

Open to All Skill Levels

Mixed Media, Special Topics, Puppetry

Overview

This playful, hands-on workshop introduces the foundations of building sculptural forms while exploring the exciting possibilities of small-scale, hand-operated puppetry. This workshop will start with constructing a simple finger puppet and will then focus on designing and building a more complex hand or tabletop puppet animated by rods, strings, or other movable parts. Students will learn multiple methods for creating sturdy armatures and developing each puppet base form, including configuring simple mechanisms that allow for movement. Students will then add volume and texture with plaster, learning how to layer material over the armature to build strength and shape. Finally, students will develop the surface, enhance expression, and add detail through paint and mixed media. Materials will be provided, but students are welcome to bring additional items from home to incorporate into their puppet structure or surface. This workshop will wrap up with a puppet parade to celebrate everyone’s creations. Come ready to experiment and create something unexpected!

Course Fee : $506.00

Scholarships & Material Fees

Need help covering workshop costs? Arrowmont offers financial aid opportunities to broaden access to our arts and craft programs. We believe a diverse community enriches the learning experience for all.

Material fees are not included in our national workshop costs, but are included with the cost of our winter short workshops. A material list with estimated costs will be emailed about 30 days before the national workshop begins.

TUITION & FEES

SCHOLARSHIPS

Cost Breakdown

Registration Fee

$50.00

Weekend Workshop Tuition

$506.00

Estimated Cost*
*Fees exclude housing and meal plans

$556.00

VIEW HOUSING & MEAL PLAN COSTS

Artist Bio

Ash Lusietto

Ash Lusietto is a Tennessee-based artist, administrator, and educator. Her work emerges from autobiographical narratives, exploring human archetypes and the wild through layered, tactile painting, sculpture, and puppetry. Lusietto’s work has been exhibited nationally and her site-specific murals of giants for the Madison Public Library and the Museum of Wisconsin Art remain on view. She received an MFA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2020. She was a recipient of the Cookeville Art Council’s Artist Fellowship in 2024 and has been an artist-in-residence at the Bubbler (Madison, WI) and Gallery 224 (Port Washington, WI). Lusietto’s work is represented by Portrait Society Gallery of Contemporary Art in Milwaukee. She previously served as Program Coordinator for the Wormfarm Institute’s Farm/Art DTour and as an instructor of drawing and figure drawing at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee. Lusietto has served on the Governing Board of Tennessee Craft since 2025 and is currently Program Manager at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tennessee.

Artist Website

Explore the Fiber & Paper Studio

From our earliest days, fiber arts have been an important medium in the Arrowmont workshop canon. For over 100 years this craft has been taught at Arrowmont by local and national artists alike. Today, the Fibers Studio has added Paper to its name as we expand the use of this space to include all things papermaking too! From felting to weaving, to macramé to found-object paper sculpture, our fiber and paper workshops push the envelope and blur the lines between these media and so much more. With a view towards the Dining Hall and Wood Studio, the indoor/outdoor nature of our covered porch and multi-room studio space make this a quirky and beloved corner of the Turner Building.

Explore the Fiber & Paper Studio