Danyett Tucker’s creative practice merges mixed media sculpture, and narrative performance to externalize her personal healing journey. Through her work, she seeks to transform stories of adversity into imaginative pathways toward self-discovery and wholeness. Her characters embody emotional truths — joy, grief, strength, and spiritual renewal — while illuminating the complexity of the human experience. Tucker views puppetry as both a vessel of ancestral memory and a tool for liberation. She is deeply committed to using this art form to reclaim cultural narratives, challenge social taboos, and celebrate the beauty, resilience, and spirituality of Black identity.

Currently developing her project A Fly Girl's Travel Journal with the support of Puppet Showplace’s Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers, Danyett recently shared a few of her thoughts about the program:

Puppet Showplace: Can you describe your project in a few sentences? (type of puppetry, materials you are working with, topic, etc)

Danyett Tucker: I’ve created a suitcase crankie episode to add to my toy theater performance series. The story “Grow” is a musical montage that is a flash forward of encouragement for the main character in my toy theater performance. The painted illustrations came from a collection of sketchbooks that I’ve had over the years woven into a panoramic walk through my inner landscape where I am re-parenting my inner child.

Puppet Showplace: What inspired (or is inspiring) the work you are creating during your Creative Residency?

Danyett Tucker: I created a three-dimensional illustrated map that functions as an interactive board game and my inner landscape. This is where all the healing dolls I have crafted interact during key milestones of the heroine’s creative journey. These dolls and puppets have become my spiritual court, guiding the narrative and embodying aspects of emotional and spiritual growth. The Gates of Grief is a place on the board where I honor loved ones who have crossed the ancestral plane. I wanted to create a piece of work that would show a little bit of the healing journey through my inner landscape to get to the gates of grief. I have a love for the cinematic nature of wordless picture books and as an illustrator always wanted to create one. The crankie provides an opportunity to combine my love of picture books, graphic novels, and painted panoramas into handmade cinema.

Puppet Showplace: What have you found most rewarding or beneficial about your experience so far with the Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers?

Danyett Tucker: Being inspired by other brilliant black artists has been the most rewarding and beneficial part of this experience. I’m a sponge and a lifelong learner. Everything they are doing gets me excited. I’ve learned so much and it’s opened my eyes to more that I would like to explore in my own work. It’s a sharing community. I haven’t had the opportunity to tap everyone's brain in depth about their practice, but I now have a network of artists that I know I can go to in the future. I'm excited to support their journeys and continue to learn from them. As an emerging Black puppeteer, this cohort has been the sounding board I needed while exploring my Identity through vulnerable healing work. It's been hard to develop my authentic self and content in predominantly white spaces. It’s a comfort to create in community with other Black artists that get that, so that I can grow the confidence to share my stories in any space that I’m in. That has been crucial to my growth and development every step of the way.

Puppet Showplace is proud to support boundary-pushing artists like Danyett. Follow Danyett on her Instagram, Facebook and website. and subscribe to Puppet Showplace’s newsletter to be notified about performances by Creative Residency fellows!

And, don’t forget to join us on Saturday, June 13, 2026 for Amplify: The Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers Showcase! Celebrate bold new voices in puppetry! Discover innovative works at a one-night-only finale to the 6th edition of the Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers, featuring “puppet slam”-style performances — at Boston University’s lovely Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre!