Where our Spirits Reside

Pierce Freelon and his mother Nnenna partnered with Paperhand Puppet Intervention to create the 2023 hit puppet show, Where Our Spirits Reside — an all-ages giant puppet show about: love, transformation and ancestors. Where Our Spirits Reside features songs and stories from their GRAMMY-nominated album AnceStars and Freelon’s picture book: Daddy and Me: Side by Side and draws inspiration from Nnenna’s podcast Great Grief. Nnenna is the show’s writer, and singer and Pierce joined the cast as composer, performer and puppeteer.

One of the highlights of the puppet show is the song Little Mushroom from the album AnceStars. This song is a loving tribute to the 🍄 kingdom which helps make the cycle of life on this planet possible by breaking down dead things and transforming them into new life. Check out the music video below!

Butterfly Extravaganza

In the Winter of 2022, Pierce traveled to Dominican Republic to make art with Dominican and Haitian young women: to write songs and stories, walk on stilts, paint butterflies and build puppets around the theme of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Recognized annually on November 25th, followed by 16 days of activism this United Nations campaign, “aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls around the world, calling for global action to increase awareness, promote advocacy and create opportunities for discussion on challenges and solutions.” 

This partnership with the Mariposa DR Foundation included a 5-week music, storytelling and puppetry residency with some exciting collaborators including: Blackspace, Paperhand Puppet Intervention, Yaa Wellness Collective, Illumened Leadership, Only Us Media and Pierce’s mother, Nnenna Freelon. This collective co-created a powerful performance led by the young women and girls of Mariposa, which debuted live on International Human Rights Day: December 10th in Cabarete, Dominican Republic.