Header image: Hobey Ford performing a puppet show for students at Washington Montessori Public Charter School. Photo by Izzy Harris, courtesy of Washington Montessori Public Charter School.
When teaching artist Hobey Ford brings his puppetry into a school, something magical happens, and creativity suddenly drives learning. Hobey is an award-winning puppeteer and educator who uses arts integration to teach subjects like migration, metamorphosis, and folktales. Using multiple puppetry techniques, he creates work that captivates students and adults alike.
Through his intricately constructed puppets, he offers students more than a performance—he actively engages them by demonstrating how the puppets are built and introducing engineering concepts, movement, art, and animal science. “I see genuine excitement from the students when I am teaching them to make shadow puppets,” Hobey said. “They become very eager to learn these techniques, and many will begin writing scripts for their puppets. Whether I am including science, folklore or another curriculum, they are excited to learn about it. It’s the same with my performances—after the performances of Animalia, I talk with them about monarch metamorphosis. They use their hands as puppets, illustrating the life cycle from caterpillar to butterfly. The experience of the art form inspires learning.”
What Hobey achieves through puppetry reflects a larger educational truth—arts integration transforms learning by reaching students in ways traditional methods often cannot. Arts integration uses the arts across all areas of the curriculum, creating an environment where creativity and collaboration naturally thrive. When educators weave the arts into a student’s school day, they encourage learners to develop and explore skills that extend beyond traditional academics.
Students who might struggle academically find new ways to succeed and learn because arts integration reaches students in novel ways. Hobey explains, “Many times, I have taught students in workshops who really excel in the art form, and then I find out that they don't generally perform well in their studies. The arts engage many students with different learning styles—visual/spatial learners love working with puppetry, physical learners enjoy the movement involved. As a visual learner, the arts made me excited about school in the upper grades.”
With support from the North Carolina Arts Council, Hobey recently completed a puppetry residency in an Ashe County school and performed for three additional schools in March. Students were entranced by his storytelling and puppets. “The kids were loud and excited to watch the show, and when it started, they quieted down. The puppet show was both educational and entertaining for the kids.” said Miah Woolard, a tenth-grade student and yearbook staff member from Washington Montessori Public Charter School. Carson Moore, a lower elementary student from Washington Montessori added, “My favorite part about the puppet show was when he showed us how he made his puppets and how the puppets work behind the screen”
To learn more about Hobey and how he creates his art, watch this profile created by PBS North Carolina.
