Puppetry NOW Performances by Tom Lee
The Mirrored Pool
As part of the Puppetry NOW program, Tom Lee brings his performance The Mirrored Pool to the Center for Puppetry Arts from February 13-22, 2026.
Events | Ages 13+ | Our Location
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“Child of Wood” Special Exhibition
Join us for the opening of the 5th installment of Puppetry NOW with an exhibition opening and artist talk featuring Tom Lee.
Referencing both his preferred construction medium and the composite character for the Chinese surname “Lee,” the artist’s exhibition entitled Child of Wood explores how Lee has combined centuries-old Asian puppetry traditions with contemporary and experimental techniques to build his remarkable career and body of work.
“Child of Wood” the exhibition is on view in the Dean DuBose Special Exhibition Gallery from February 12-May 17, 2026.
This special opening event includes:
– A performance of sanbaso, a Japanese ritual dance purifying the space of performance. This performance was taught to Mr. Lee by his teacher Koryū Nishikawa V, and the puppet with which it is performed is also a gift from his teacher.
– First looks at the special exhibition
– Meet and greet with the artist
Attendees will receive a special discount to attend one performance of The Mirrored Pool
Meet the Artist
Director | Designer | Puppet Artist
Tom Lee
Tom Lee is a director, designer, and puppet artist, born in Korea and raised in Hawai’i. He began his career at La MaMa in New York and later worked with St. Ann’s Warehouse Puppet Lab. His work blends figures, film, and animation, creating original puppet theater while also performing and designing through Chicago Puppet Studio. Notable credits include Sounding the Resonant Path, Shank’s Mare, Akutagawa, and The Great Zodiac Animal Race, as well as performances in War Horse (Tony Award), Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera, and Petrushka with the New York Philharmonic. His design work spans theater, opera, dance, and film. He has taught at Sarah Lawrence College, the University of Chicago, and Lincoln Center Theater and co-founded the Chicago Puppet Lab in 2021.
Puppetry NOW
Puppetry NOW turns the Center for Puppetry Arts’ focus to the art of our time and artists with limited representation in our historical collections.
Through an annual solo exhibition, performance, and collecting efforts, the initiative provides space and support to puppeteers and artists of color, while increasing the organization’s connection to the current state of puppetry.
Past Puppetry NOW artists include: Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins (2022), Poncili Creación (2023), Nehprii Amenii (2024), Raymond Carr (2025).