REAL PEOPLE. REAL PROGRESS. Diane Houk’s love of puppets and entertaining children of all ages began when she was a Girl Scout in Independence. A trip to the Hazelle Rollins’ Puppet Factory in Kansas City was the beginning of her lifelong love of the art of puppetry. Although she was sick the day of the fieldtrip, her Girl Scout leader, Martha Ingram, taught the troop to make puppets and perform puppet shows. From there it continued to grow. That was the inspiration. Diane’s passion grew to puppet collecting, and she became known in the community as a hard-working advocate for the art of puppet-making and puppeteers. This brought many experiences, such as giving Paul Mesner, a nationally known Kansas City puppeteer, his first opportunity to perform in public at the opening of the Sermon Center in Independence. Diane and Paul’s relationship led to the creation of the Puppet Guild where Diane served on the board for nine years. At that time Goodwill asked if the Puppet Guild would be interested in taking several boxes of puppet pieces that had been donated. The puppet pieces ended up being what was left of the Hazelle Rollins Puppet Factory and several boxes were actually an 18-wheeler flatbed trailer. After moving the puppet pieces from two locations they settled at their final home in Independence. The Puppet Guild was building a puppet institute tailored to children and fostering enjoyment and interest in puppets. It took the Guild seven years and much dedication to save the $10,000 that is was required to open what today is the Puppetry Arts Institute. It was started on October 13, 2000 in Diane’s old stomping ground, the Englewood Arts District in Independence. It features the Hazelle Rollins puppets as well as many others from around the world. The Puppetry Arts Institute hosts Kindergartners from all over the Kansas City metro area each year to come and make their own puppets and enjoy a puppet show, often put on by Diane herself. They are open daily for children and families to come and create their own puppets, featuring monthly puppet shows that each have their own unique story. The idea behind the Puppetry Arts Institute was to create a place that children knew as soon as they walked in that it was made just for them. Diane and the rest of the Puppet Guild have certainly made that a reality. Another example of Independence: Real People. Real Progress. Visit www.hazelle.org for more info. 6
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Diane Houk