Life

Having faith in light

Shadow Puppet Show displays power of light

NEW ULM – Faith Belt illuminated the New Ulm Public Library's basement with her "Stories in the Shadows" event Tuesday night.

The program was funded in part with the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment funds.

Belt, who was The Grand's final 2025 Artist-in-Residence, combined shadow puppets, water, music and storytelling to create an immersive experience for the audience.

Originally from Johnson City, Tennessee, Belt attended the University of Tennessee for art.

During her time there, Belt worked with various mediums and learned to utilize them to create a cohesive shadow puppet experience.

The event began with two short folk stories. The first was called "Coyote Myth," created by Belt's older sister. The second was "The Loyal Mongoose," a fable adapted from "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi."

She was joined by Puppeteer Lydia Kratz, who assisted with the puppets in both stories.

Belt appreciates the community aspect of puppetry.

"It becomes sort of this community moment. It's not just me making the art, it's all of us making the art together," Belt said. "We get to bounce ideas off of each other."

As a child, Belt began collaborative artmaking with her three siblings. They would create stories with their toy puppets. Belt told a story about making a bunch of skiers out of cardboard toilet paper tubes and popsicle sticks which acted as the skis.

Following the show, Belt gave insight to the behind the scenes of what goes into puppeteering.

Her Presentation, entitled "Light and Shadow: Storytelling, Play, and the Transformative Power of Light," showcased various projects Belt has worked on, including chalk dragons, giant snow animals, and a 10-foot-tall Big Friendly Giant puppet that was featured in MLC College's production of the the "The BFG."

The art of puppeteering takes time, but to Belt, that is part of the fun.

"Maybe it takes several hours to cut something out and you only see it for four seconds in a show, I just get a kick out of that," Belt said. "In my work I am rebelling against efficiency. There is a lot to be said about the value of creative process. It slows you down, it forces you to solve problems, and it's really fun.

The puppets featured in Belt's show were created out of bamboo skewers, pieces of wire, tape and cardstock to create puppets with moveable limbs.

She used an overhead projector and dumped water in a plastic tub of water over the puppets to create ripple elements for her story.

Belt encouraged the audience to get creative with puppeteering. She said that the materials needed to create puppets are already in the house.

Librarian Chloe Dickson, who specializes with the adult programs and technology services, was glad to bring Belt into the library for the event.

"I love bringing unique art, that's really cool to me. Especially with the library and its mission of lifelong learning, supporting curiosity, and making things accessible," Dickson said. "What better night than a Tuesday night to come see a free puppet show and see something you might have never seen before."

A free shadow puppet creation workshop event for ages 16 and up, hosted by Belt, will be at the library 5 p.m. Thursday. Registration required.