PUPPETRY IS AN ART FORM
which communicates beyond age, culture, ethnicity, language and education. It opens possibilities that effect the head, heart and soul, communicating on many levels at once, often without words. Adults through puppetry, experience the mysteries of life and understand how possibility can become reality. Children, through puppetry, nurture their imagination receiving the gift of inspiration. Puppets have no boundaries. Strings, plaster, cloth, wood, plastic, cardboard, glitter, feathers, paint - even the human body or the latest technology - are just the base materials with which puppet artists fashion living, breathing creatures, beings that reach out and touch us in mystical ways. By creating and giving form to inspiration, puppets show us the way to see ourselves and our world differently, imparting ideas that bridge cultural differences.

TO CREATE AN OUTREACH PROGRAM
that brings puppet shows and activities to various locations - expected and unexpected throughout Southern California. TO CREATE AN EXHIBITION PROGRAM displaying the visionary legacy of world puppetry at the Conservatory and traveling exhibits.

TO CREATE A WORKING RESTORATION PROGRAM
in order to catalogue and preserve the Alan G. CookÕs International Museum of Puppetry collection in the United States as well as the work of other fine puppet artists.

TO CREATE AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
that informs, delights and directly involves both children and adults in puppetry arts. Partnering with the Armory Center for the Arts as well as developing our own programs, COPA will inspire creativity through the building and use of puppets.

TO CREATE A LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES
where the history of puppetry may be studied and the future of puppetry may be planned.

TO CREATE A NEWS CENTER
where activities about puppeteers and puppet related events can be collected, distributed and exchanged, including a newsletter and a web page.