Everybody loves puppets. One artist put that sentiment to the test last summer at Daemen’s Nancy Haberman Gacioch Center for Visual & Performing Arts with his record-setting exhibit.
Adam Kreutinger’s Puppetry for Everyone showcased over 15 years of the artist’s puppet building, video production, book writing, and paintings. Technicolor characters of all sizes appeared to spring to life from the walls of the Tower Gallery.
“When most people think of puppetry,” Kreutinger explained, “they think of Sesame Street and the Muppets – something just for kids. I wanted to show puppetry in a gallery space, where people expect to see fine art, to help them recognize puppetry as the true art form that it is.”
Kreutinger is best known for his “Puppet Nerd” YouTube channel that has broadcast his passion for puppetry to 176,000 subscribers since 2010. His puppets have been featured on Food Network, Comedy Central, Adam Savage’s Tested, and Disney on Broadway’s Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation.
In 2022, Kreutinger was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, which impacted both the subject matter and media of his creations, as increased seizures and mobility issues necessitated a pivot to drawing and 3D printing.
An opening reception held on August 16, 2024, featured video remarks from puppeteers who have all worked with Kreutinger, such as Leslie Carrara-Rudolph (Sesame Street’s Abby Cadabby), Bill Barretta (the Muppets’ Rowlf, Pepé, and Swedish Chef), and Phillip Huber (Being John Malkovich).
The exhibit, which was initially scheduled for one week in August, was extended through the end of October following record-breaking attendance and sustained public interest. Over 250 visitors attended the opening reception, including guests from New York City, Boston, Toronto, and Los Angeles.
Kreutinger died in February 2025 at Niagara Hospice, just one day short of his 37th birthday. He shared his last moments with his wife Maria and loved ones around him.
“I had the pleasure of working with Adam for the last 14 years,” said Cameron Garrity ’13, who curated the exhibit. “Long after any of us are here, his creative spark will still be reminding Puppet Nerds everywhere to ‘make art every day.’”
