Sol Ramirez
I would like to begin today’s episode with a question: when you think of puppetry, where does your mind go? If you, like me, conjure up images of the muppets or ventriloquists or the hand puppets you might have made in elementary school, then I am very excited for you to meet our guest today, who will broaden your horizons of what puppetry can be far beyond what you might know it as. For Sol Ramirez, puppetry is an art form, one with deep historical and social justice roots.
Sol Ramirez is a 19-year-old artist, activist, musician, and puppeteer. Throughout his young career, he has worked with Paperhand Puppet Intervention, Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins, the Hillsborough Arts Council and Orange County Arts Commission, and is the creator and director of 1, 2, 3 Puppetry, a puppet theatre company based in Chapel Hill, NC. He currently is attending school at the University of Connecticut where he is majoring in the Puppet Arts BFA program.
“I'm not interested in art unless it has a message, really. And the nice thing is, all art has a message. It doesn't matter how big or small or how poignant or how directed it is, there's always going to be a message with art.”
— Sol Ramirez
Puppetry, as I have come to understand it, weaves together the best of visual art and theater, using physical representations to convey deeper truths about our world. Puppetry has a long history as a folk practice that entertains and teaches at the same time. It has existed in some form in almost all civilizations and all time periods. Puppetry is said to pre-date written theater, and, according to the Encylopedia Brittanica, represents one of the most primitive instincts of the human race.
If you ask me, that instinct is about art and connection, and taking on other forms in order to build those connections. Puppetry blurs the lines between actor and object, utilizing aesthetic representations to communicate deeper truths. It is no doubt an art form, even if it is an art form we hear little about in modern society. Here in North Carolina, we have an extensive network of puppeteers, and most notably, young puppeteers. I am so excited to introduce you to Sol, who is not only creating beautiful, elaborate productions, but building community, telling stories, and, most of all, inspiring a new generation of young artists.
Photo from a 1, 2, 3 Puppetry Production.
Sol and I— and I imagine many of you— lean into the belief that good art requires community. I’m not a huge believer that masterpieces are born only in isolation; as an artist, I’m interested in the ways in which we can connect artists across disciplines and locations and reimagine a world of narrative that hinges on collaboration. The more I have these conversations, the more sure of that belief I am. With that being said, I also understand how difficult building that community can be, especially for artists in regions and spaces where they might be physically isolated from the “tethers” and “centers” of their field— and I put that in quotations because I personally don’t believe there should be a center. Great writing comes out of places beyond New York City; great film goes far outside Hollywood.
What I hope for followers of this newsletter and podcast is that you are learning— more than anything else you get from this project— that you are not alone as an artist. If you’re looking for creative community and have no idea where to start, reach out to us. We’re here for you. And I’m really, really excited about what we are building here— together.