Lander Sculpture Students Create Cardboard Puppets for Campus Parade

Lander University sculpture students brought imagination to life as they unveiled a collection of towering, human-sized puppets crafted entirely from cardboard for the annual Puppet Parade, which has become a tradition for many on Lander’s campus in recent years.

Using large pieces and scraps of cardboard, students in the Sculpture 1 art course created expressive characters that could march and dance as part of the whimsical artistic tradition of the class. Among the magical puppets was the “Taco-saurus Rex,” created by Luke Potts, of Spartanburg, who is seeking a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Lander.

“This is an academic assignment to create a puppet using cardboard and other materials as needed,” said Doug McAbee, a Lander art professor. “Students learn the historical context of puppetry and learn about specific artists who created puppets, such as renowned puppeteers Jim Henson and Wayne White.”

Though the parade comes just before the start of finals, it still manages to attract a crowd of curious spectators, eager to put their studies aside for a brief moment and enjoy the creativity of their fellow students.