Launched in 2021, this initiative provides the opportunity for artists to present their work in progress, followed by a discussion with the audience.
THE COUNTRY WITHIN MY SOUL
(temporary title)
A show from Sonya Butseva, Lily Schwarzbaum and Maggie Winston
Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 7:30 PM
FREE – reservation required
(The information requested during the reservation will be shared with the Museum of Jewish Montreal)
MIAM – Maison internationale des arts de la marionnette
30, Saint-Just avenue
Montréal (Québec) H2V 1X8
514 270-2717
Mine alone
Is the country in my soul
I enter there without a passport
-Marc Chagall
Is home a physical place or an inner state ? What emerges when one feels pulled between multiple places, cultural identities, or languages?
In this short form inspired by Marc Chagall’s Yiddish poetry and visual world, masks, glove puppets, and projections come to life in a series of vignettes.
Like a window peeking into the creative soul, we explore what it means to cultivate one’s own inner world.
This is a first co-creation for Sonya Butseva, Lily Schwarzbaum, and Maggie Winston. They would like to express their gratitude to the Museum of Jewish Montreal, the Foundation for Yiddish Culture, and Casteliers/the MIAM for their support.
This event is a part of the Museum of Jewish Montreal’s 2026 Microgrant Program for Creative or Cultural Exploration, made possible with support by the Azrieli Foundation, the Betty Averbach Foundation, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, and CANVAS.
Language: French
Duration: 20–25 minutes
Technique: Puppet show
Audience: Suitable for all ages, recommended from 6 years and up
Billetterie
FREE
Reservation required
MIAM – Maison internationale des arts de la marionnette
30, avenue Saint-Just
Montréal (Québec) H2V 1X8
514 270-2717
credits
Puppets, cardboard: Sonya Butseva, Lily Schwarzbaum
Silk painting: Sonya Butseva
Projections: Lily Schwarzbaum, Maggie Winston
Masks: Maggie Winston
Music: Zafer Mamilli
Outside eye: Naomi Moon, Clea Minaker
PHOTOS
ARTISTS
Sonya (Sofia) Butseva is a puppeteer and visual artist of Russo-American origin whose practice is rooted in materiality and the living world. After several years working in ecological agriculture, she studied sculpture at the Maison des métiers d’art de Québec. She discovered puppetry through “lambe-lambe” (box theatre) and went on to create several miniature performances, which she has presented at the OUF! Off Casteliers festival and the FAR – Festival des Arts de Ruelle. Her visual work is a meeting place between natural and fantastical worlds, inspired by folklore, rural life, and the poetry of materials themselves. She is currently pursuing a graduate diploma (DESS) in contemporary puppetry at UQAM.
Lily Schwarzbaum is an artist and facilitator who creates “Big Art,” including popular giant puppets. Deeply inspired by her activist and community roots, she makes art that fosters wonder, engagement, and exuberance among adults. Her giant puppets can be found at public gatherings linked to many social movements (housing rights, citizen-led urban development, popular education, and Palestinian solidarity, among others). She also creates lanterns for community festivals (TOHU, Ferme les Troubadours). She is currently studying in the graduate diploma (DESS) in contemporary puppetry at UQAM.
Maggie Winston is a puppeteer, visual artist specializing in puppets and costumes, clown, teacher, and cultural mediator. She is the director of the company Lost & Found Puppet Co., which produces performances that combine puppetry in various styles with other multidisciplinary artistic practices. Her work explores themes such as family, cultural history, human relationships with objects, nature, and spirituality. Her creations feature stories of beaver dreams, wolves drinking tea, the poetry of a Montreal Yiddish writer, and memories of a grandmother in her recycled quilt. Maggie is a graduate of the graduate diploma (DESS) in contemporary puppetry at UQAM.
