Center for Puppetry Arts Announces DAVID ARQUETTE as Special Celebrity Guest for String Fling 2026
Annual benefit gala will take place on World Puppetry Day
Saturday, March 21, 2026 at Guardian Works in Atlanta
ATLANTA (JANUARY 2026) – The Center for Puppetry Arts is proud to announce actor, producer, and puppetry enthusiast David Arquette will be a special guest for String Fling 2026, the Center’s annual benefit gala celebrating creativity, imagination, and the enduring art of puppetry.
Taking place on World Puppetry Day, March 21, String Fling 2026 marks the beginning of a momentous three-year countdown to the Center for Puppetry Arts’ 50th Anniversary in 2028. Each year as we approach this milestone, the Center will welcome a distinguished friend of puppetry as the String Fling Special Guest—highlighting artists and advocates whose passion reflects the power and reach of this timeless art form. The Center is thrilled to feature David Arquette as the inaugural guest in this celebratory series.
“David Arquette brings both genuine enthusiasm and deep respect for puppetry as an art form,” said Beth Schiavo, Executive Director of the Center for Puppetry Arts. “As we begin this countdown to our 50th anniversary, David’s presence underscores the enduring influence of puppetry across entertainment, culture, and generations.”
“I’m overjoyed to support the Center for Puppetry Arts and the String Fling 2026 theme,
‘The Spark of Imagination,’” said Arquette. “It’s a celebration of that initial idea, doodle, sketch, or conversation that gets a creative idea flowing, and it reflects the energy of this exciting moment in time for the Center.”
Arquette is the youngest of the Arquette dynasty, which stems all the way back to his great-grandparents who were Vaudevillians. Arquette is a multi-talented actor, producer, and lifelong pop culture fan whose career spans more than three decades of beloved films, television series, and cult classics. He is widely known as Deputy Dewey Riley in the iconic Scream franchise, with additional fan-favorite roles in films such as Never Been Kissed (1999), Eight Legged Freaks (2002), and Ready to Rumble (2000). He was also featured in Muppets from Space (1999) and It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002).
Beyond the screen, Arquette is also a passionate professional wrestling devotee, famously holding the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and later chronicling his unconventional return in the award-winning documentary You Cannot Kill David Arquette (2020).
In 2021, Arquette realized his childhood dream and purchased the rights to Bozo the Clown. Since then, he has been collaborating with clowns, artists, and charities to create a clown-collective focused on promoting kindness, inclusiveness and pure fun throughout the world. Arquette is an ambassador to Feeding America, The Kids Mental
Health Foundation, and The Violence Intervention Program in honor of his late sister Alexis Arquette. Arquette is also a certified Bob Ross instructor and donates classes to charity, to help spread joy to people around the world.
Arquette’s career reflects the same joy, commitment, and imaginative play that fuels the art of puppetry. A dedicated collector of puppets and puppetry artifacts, Arquette has long championed the artistry, craftsmanship, and character-driven storytelling that define the medium.
About String Fling 2026
String Fling is the Center for Puppetry Arts’ annual fundraising gala with a goal of $350,000 to support the Center’s work providing creative and cultural experiences to thousands of children, adults, families, students, and educators through a large spectrum of annual programming.
The String Fling 2026 main program will include special guest David Arquette joining leaders from the Center for Puppetry Arts–along with a puppet pundit–for a chat about their appreciation of the art form and its place in culture. The evening will also include an elevated selection of food and beverage, curated puppetry activations, exclusive auction offerings, and a festive program supporting the Center’s legacy and future.
In addition to the live event on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at Guardian Works in Atlanta, fans and supporters nationwide can bid in String Fling’s online auction, running from March 15 to March 21, 2026. Each year, hundreds of supporters attend the String Fling gala, and thousands more participate in the online auction, so guests are encouraged to purchase tickets or register for the auction early.
Tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and auction pre-registration are now available.
Visit the event website directly https://one.bidpal.net/stringfling26
About the Center for Puppetry Arts
The Center for Puppetry Arts is the largest nonprofit dedicated to the art form of puppetry in the nation. Since its founding in 1978, the Center has inspired millions of visitors onsite through performances, museum exhibitions, hands-on workshops as well as digital learning and outreach programs. The Center’s museum is home to the largest collection of Jim Henson puppets in the world. The organization is now preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2028. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Center is supported by corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals including major funding from the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the Georgia Council for the Arts, a partner of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Center is a member of TYA/USA/ASSITEJ and serves as the headquarters of UNIMA-USA.