Project Overview
Puppets have long functioned as vessels for collective storytelling, protest, celebration, satire, and transformation. Existing somewhere between sculpture, performance, procession, and public ritual, they possess a unique ability to translate complex civic realities into experiences that are emotionally resonant, visually compelling, and accessible across generations.
The Puppetry Parade invites New Orleans artists, makers, culture bearers, and puppeteers to create illuminated puppets and puppetry inspired designs that respond to this moment in the city’s history; exploring themes such as resilience, environmental change, education, public safety, cultural identity, economic inequality, joy, remembrance, and collective imagination.
Artists are encouraged to consider the puppet not simply as an object, but as a civic storyteller: a living monument capable of moving through neighborhoods, gathering communities, provoking dialogue, and embodying the spirit, tensions, and aspirations of contemporary New Orleans. Through light, movement, sound, and performance, these works can transform public space into sites of reflection, wonder, and shared experience.
Selected finalists will be presented to the public in two chapters. First, the puppets or puppetry inspired design will premiere at LUNA Fête , Arts New Orleans’ annual festival of light, art, and technology, where they will be activated through procession, performance, and public interaction before audiences of more than 40,000 attendees. LUNA Fête will be held from November 13-15, 2026 in downtown New Orleans.
Following their festival debut, selected works will enter the City of New Orleans’ Percent for Art collection through permanent installation at designated New Orleans Recreation Development Commission and New Orleans Public Library sites. In this second life, the puppets will evolve from temporary performance objects into enduring civic artworks continuing to inspire imagination, dialogue, and community connection long after the festival concludes.
Eligibility
To qualify, applicants must:
- Be 18+ and legally authorized to work in the U.S.
- Reside in Orleans Parish or the greater New Orleans metro area
- Meet all contractual obligations and adhere to the timeline provided.
- Artists must be available to exhibit work during LUNA Fête, November 13 – 15th from 5pm – 10pm nightly
To support a broad range of artists over time, applicants are not eligible to apply if they are currently under contract for another Percent for Art project. However, artists with an active contract dated and signed prior to December 2023 remain eligible to apply for this opportunity.
All interested artists are invited to apply to this public art commission. Arts New Orleans is committed to centering racial equity in the selection of artists and artworks. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other artists of color are highly encouraged to apply.
How to Apply
Application open: July 29, 11:59pm
Review and download here:
Information Sessions
- Session #1: Monday, July 13th at 5:30pm CST in person at 1474 N. Broad Street
- Session #2: Wednesday, July 15th at noon via Zoom, Session will be recorded and added to Submittable page following session
Questions outside of sessions: Lindsay Glatz, lindsay@artsneworleans.org