We are thrilled to announce the recipients of Puppet Showplace Theater’s 2025 Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers (CRBP)! Congratulations to William PK Carter of the Central Valley, NY, ChelseaDee Harrison of Washington, D.C, Fatima Seck of Boston, Brett Swinney of Chicago, and Khaleshia Thorpe-Price of Maryland!

Over the next six months, these 5 incredible artists will develop their early-stage works, meet monthly with their cohort and the program team, receive one-on-one mentorship and support, and attend skill-building seminars, and will also each receive a $1000 grant to support their work.

The 2025 Creative Residency will be led by Tanya Nixon-Silberg as Community Curator, Charlotte Lily Gaspard as Project Mentor, and Ash Winkfield as Residency Coordinator.

Meet the 2025 Fellows

William PK Carter

Central Valley, NY 
Project: “Something Must Give — And It Will Not Be Me”

As an interdisciplinary artist with intersectional identities, William PK Carter creates work that exists between mediums and social norms. They use the wonder and whimsy of fibers and puppetry to connect with other queer people of color who choose to let their imagination run wild. Working with assorted fabrics, yarn, paint, paper mache, and other craft supplies that were native to their childhood school desk, they weave all aspects of their identity into their work. At its core, their art is a collection of love letters to their younger self. With every piece that they make, they allow little William to express himself authentically.

Follow William on Instagram.

ChelseaDee Harrison

Washington, DC
Project: “Sheela and the Amazons”

ChelseaDee Harrison is a theater-maker, “artivist”, teaching artist, and public arts engagement specialist. She has developed and facilitated community-based arts workshops with a variety of institutions. She is a 2024 TYA/USA Emerging Leader Fellow as well as a 2024 Arts and Humanities Fellow with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. She is also the executive producer, writer, and host of the warrior queen podcast, Vanguard of the Viragoes. Her inspiration is crafting multi-platform public engagement experiences that highlight history, challenge dominant narratives and ensure that art is a tool in the hands of the people.

Fatima Seck

Boston, MA 
Project: “My Name is Harriet”'

Fatima Seck is an artist, writer & teacher creating books and arts-based community experiences on Black women & children's history; and the intersection of art and health. Her women & children centered work has been supported by various organizations including Mount Auburn Cemetery, INCITE, City of Cambridge's Art for Social Justice and more. She's creating a children's book on the childhood of Harriet Jacobs' using natural inks, which she'll be animating through the Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers.

Brett Swinney

Chicago, IL 
Project: “Black Guy AI”

Brett Swinney is an artist and arts administrator with a rich history in Chicago's cultural scene. He currently serves as the Cultural Affairs Coordinator for the Public Art Department at the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). Brett holds an M.A. in Arts Administration & Policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a B.A. in Photography from Columbia College Chicago. He continues to expand his artistic practice as a 2023-24 Chicago Puppet Lab Cohort Member and a Lead artist for Rough House Theatre's "House of the Exquisite Corpse IV: Superstition" in 2024.

Khaleshia Thorpe-Price

Maryland
Project: “Imagine and Play Storytime: The Spider and the Crocodile”

Khaleshia Thorpe-Price is the owner and lead teaching artist at Dramatic Play LLC. She is an Imagination Cultivator, Creative Collaborator, and Community Builder. Khaleshia is a versatile creator, educator, and administrator who aims to dazzle participants with the art of play, creative exploration, and ensemble building. She has worked in arts education for over twenty years. Khaleshia is a roster artist for the Maryland State Arts Council, Virginia Commission of the Arts, and Lifetime Arts. Khaleshia holds a BA in Theater Arts from Morgan State University and an MA in Arts Management from the University of Central Florida.

Follow Khaleshia on her website, Instagram, and Facebook.

We look forward to celebrating the work of these talented artists as they create, innovate, and inspire through puppetry!

And, stay tuned for details about the culminating community sharing in June.

About the Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers

Puppet Showplace's Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers is an opportunity to center the creation of new narratives and amplify diverse voices in the puppetry arts — and it remains the only program of its kind in the United States.

At Puppet Showplace Theater, we believe it is vital for all children and adults to have access to the arts, especially art made by artists who reflect their communities. This residency is about representation, storytelling, and creating space for voices that aren’t always heard. 

Since its launch in 2020, the residency has supported 20 Black artists, investing in the earliest stages of production development — and now we’ve added 5 more to that count! And, this year’s program has been expanded from two months to six months, to better support the artists and to allow more time for a supportive, creative environment to develop. 

Past fellows in Puppet Showplace’s Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers have gone on to premiere works at the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts (Nehprii Amenii, CRBP 2020, HUMAN), ArtsEmerson (Dey Hernández, CRBP 2021, On the Eve of Abolition with Papel Machete), La MaMa Puppetry Festival (Anthony Michael Stokes, CRBP 2020, The Scarecrow), and at Dixon Place in NYC (Ash Winkfield, CRBP 2023, The Harlem Doll Palace), and more.

And, we can’t do it without you — this program relies on donations from supporters of the arts like you.

Thank you for joining us on this journey to amplify the voices of Black puppeteers!