Pussypaws Puppetry
That Paradise Place
November 1–2, 2024
That Paradise Place is an erotic puppet musical about the love, sex, and fantasy lives of artists with disabilities debuting at Abrons Art Center on November 1 & 2, 2024. The collaborative show is created and performed by Pussypaws Puppetry, an inclusive puppet troupe of visual artists, musicians, and performers with and without disabilities and presented by Summertime, a studio, gallery and residency for neurodiverse artists.
Showtimes
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About Priscilla Frank
Priscilla Frank is the creative director of That Paradise Place. Priscilla works at the intersection of artistic expression and care work, with a little eroticism and enchantment sprinkled on top. For five years she has supported artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities at Summertime and YAI Arts, where she organized exhibitions at spaces including MoMA and SPRING/BREAK. Before that she was a reporter at HuffPost covering art and culture. She’s published two books of e(a)rotic corn cartoons, called “Corn Smut,” with SunRoom and Desert Island presses. She offers puppet shows, workshops, and celebrations with handmade and vintage puppets to people of all ages around New York City.
About Graeme Daubert
Graeme Daubert composed, arranged and recorded the songs featured in That Paradise Place. Graeme is an independent songwriter and recording artist based in Sunnyside, New York. He is a founding member of Alpenglow, an indie rock band with whom he has toured and made three records. In 2018, Graeme released a record under his own name titled On a Harbor Island. In the summer of 2021, he began to collaborate with puppeteer Priscilla Frank on her production of All is Full of Love, an earlier iteration of this show. He helped craft the songs and recorded them in his basement studio. Currently, Graeme is working on balancing being a high school history teacher with his ongoing musical pursuits and making puppet show magic.
About Pussypaws Puppetry
Pussypaws Puppetry is an inclusive puppet troupe of visual artists, musicians, and performers with and without disabilities. We are enchanted by all things silly, spirited, and sensual. We are inspired by puppetry’s legacy as a medium of the people: inherently playful, provocative and predominantly existing outside art world norms and trends. Pussypaws offers a freewheeling, experimental, accessible creative space where artists of all persuasions, backgrounds, and abilities can make puppet shows and have fun. Pussypaws was founded in 2023 by sisters Priscilla Frank and Alana Hauser. We are named after the Pussypaws flower, whose magical properties open us to the healing powers of physical touch. @ppawspuppetry
About Summertime
Summertime is a nonprofit art studio, gallery and residency in Brooklyn championing an art world where artists with and without intellectual disabilities create and display work alongside one another. We support and celebrate neurodiverse artists with rigor and joy, thus forging a more inclusive art world. Founded in 2019 by Sophia Cosmadopoulos and Anna Schechter, Summertime is revolutionizing the art world by breaking down the barriers that have traditionally made “outsiders” of artists with disabilities. We radically transform the lives of artists by spotlighting their passions and talents, fostering generative relationships, and opening doors. Summertime generates a close-knit community, visionary creations, and a welcoming art oasis. @summertimegallery
Collaborators
That Paradise Place is a collaboration of over 60 visual artists, musicians, and performers: Miriam Abrahams, Tim Allan, Lucie Allouche, Miles Austin, Everette Ball, Baruch Bourdeau, Angelina Cavallini, Chris Chronopoulos, Susie Clowe, Thea Cohen, Sophia Cosmadopoulos, Diogeneis Costa, Graeme Daubert, Emily Davis, Heydi de los Santos, Helena Dreyer, Brian Dyer, Dave Ercolini, Priscilla Frank, Madelyn Freed, Alana Hauser, Gabriella Herrera, Tristan Higginbotham, Jessy Hodgson, Camille Holvoet, Jessy Hodgson, Simone Johnson, Brason Jones, Hannah Kaplan, Benji Kohler, Jamee Lind, Lauren McArthur, Evan McClellan, Codi McGarry, Dean Millien, Ruby Mizrahi (Mx Enigma), Dominica Montoya, Magen Nieves, John Peery (Pizza), Mallory Perry, Eleanor Pienta, Jadé Porciatti, Natalie Power, Jonathan Putz, Jennifer Quinones, Oswald Saenz, Anna Schechter, Carlota Schechter, Tayloe Schinz-Devico, Emma Singer, Ellie Sondock, Matt Starr, Mckay Steigerwald, Felicity Stevenson, Marisa Sullivan, Shmuel Taurog, Eva Tortora, Frank Traynor, Jimmy Tucker, Margot Werner, Anna Witiuk, Grace Woodard, Kenneth Youngblood, Jenna Zacharia, and Jed Zaeb.
Funders
That Paradise Place is presented by Summertime, with generous support from New York State Council of the Arts, Brooklyn Arts Fund, Bronfman Alumni Venture Fund, The Puffin Foundation, Brand X Editions, and so many beloved members of our community.