9/24/2010:
Today is the last day of our week at the museum. We have brought you the stories of a buffalo-hide tipi, a Mrs. North Dakota pageant dress, a slot machine and a string bass. Our final story is about a theater troupe of marionettes.
Dangling from their strings, their arms and legs at rest, they hang from little pegs so their strings don't get tangled. Above the carved wooden faces, are little tags with the characters' names; Young Tom, the Auctioneer, Eva and more. These characters were used for marionette performances of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" as part of a WPA, or Works Progress Administration, program.
During the depression, the government sought to provide the many jobless with work. The WPA employed many of the nation's idled workers, creating highway systems, public recreation facilities and more. Though North Dakota didn't have a Federal Arts Program designed to provide jobs for artists, writers and musicians, Mrs. Hazel Falley wanted to do something. As the administrator of the Women's Division of the WPA, she thought a puppet program could provide some much needed cultural programming for North Dakota's rural areas.
She hired Alice Lind to take charge of the project. Taking a leave of absence from her work as a speech and drama instructor, Alice Lind headed the program. She sewed the characters' costumes, including a frilly dress for Eva, dotted with blue flowers, and Uncle Tom's grey felt-like pants and black coat. Students were in charge of roughing out the puppets, while Telle Rudser did the final carving, leaving characters with large expressive eyes. When all was done, the puppet troupe was equipped to put on "Uncle Tom's Cabin," Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," and a musical performance of Hansel and Gretel.
Their premiere performance in Bismarck's high school auditorium met with good reviews. Afterwards, the group hit the road. They played in town halls, churches and school houses all over the state.
When the program was over, Alice Lind was given the character "Topsy" from "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Years later she sent the puppet to be reunited with the rest of the cast, which became a part of the museum's collection a year earlier, on this date in 1976. Today, if you head into the Heritage Center you can find "Topsy" on exhibit with some of the other puppets.
So, check out the museum and discover some of the stories behind the objects for yourself. Walk among dinosaur fossils and a drug store counter. Admission is free! And if you want to get a closer look at the museum's storage, you can schedule a tour.
Dakota Datebook written by Alyssa Boge
Sources:
Accession Record for objects 1976.143 and 1977.2