In late June, the Arts+ Resilience Through Puppetry team wrapped up six weeks of immersive, hands-on work at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort, NC. Part of the Arts+ experiential summer learning program, their project culminated in a final showcase alongside other student teams. For their presentation, the Puppetry team created a short documentary-style video capturing the heart of their summer: interviews with community partners, behind-the-scenes glimpses of their creative process, and personal reflections on how art can foster resilience, spark learning, and build meaningful connections. Watch the video below to experience their story:

Led by Duke Theater Professor Torry Bend—alongside Duke students Ally Doss, Jocelyn Morgenstein, Naflah Mohammed, and recent Duke MFA graduate em liptow—the team focused their efforts on designing and building puppets that reflect local stories and support the Ready, Set, Resilience curriculum taught in Carteret County. This curriculum was developed in response to eastern North Carolina teachers seeking ways to help students process and adapt after major weather events like Hurricanes Florence and Dorian. At its core, Ready, Set, Resilience explores how nature recovers from disruption and how communities and students can apply those same principles in their own lives.

With a goal to foster environmental awareness and community connection, the team built a 20-foot-long North Atlantic right whale puppet, based on a real right whale sighted in the Carteret County area named Granite. As an endangered species, the North Atlantic right whale became a central symbol of the project, emphasizing the region’s marine ecosystem and the importance of protecting coastal wildlife. Operated by three puppeteers, Granite the puppet made its public debut in Beaufort’s Fourth of July parade with Duke Engage students and Beaufort community members.

“When we bring a character to life through puppets, we end up caring for it. And so, as an extension, we have this ability to care for the animals and plants in our lives.”

Liz DeMattia, Nicholas School of the Environment Researcher, Director, Community Science Initiative

The success of the project work for the Resilience Through Puppetry team was made possible through the collaboration and support of right whale experts from the Bonehenge Whale Center, local puppeteers from the Beaufort community who provided guidance and workshop space, and DukeEngage students at the Marine Lab who lent extra hands for puppet building.

In a joint statement, the Arts+ team of Doss, Morgenstein, and Mohammed said, “As three STEM majors, we’ve loved working at the intersection of science, art, and community through this project. In the process of building this whale and sharing it with the public, we found that the art and stories built around it help make the science more accessible. As we look to tackle broad issues like climate change and the preservation of biodiversity, we hope that increased collaboration across disciplines will continue to foster positive change. Thank you to everyone who helped make this project possible!”

“We’ve loved working at the intersection of science, art, and community through this project. In the process of building this whale and sharing it with the public, we found that the art and stories built around it help make the science more accessible.”

Naflah Mohammed, Member of the 2025 Arts+ Cohort

---