Vincent Anthony

Vincent (Vince) Anthony is a puppeteer and the founder of the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally from Florida, Vince started his career in puppetry touring with the New York-based Nicolo Marionettes. By 1966, he was ready for a smaller community where he could be an active partner, make a difference, and pursue his idea of a puppetry center. He decided to call Atlanta home and co-created Vagabond Marionettes, a touring puppetry troupe that presented several seasons at the Woodruff Arts Center. On September 23, 1978, with Kermit the Frog and his creator Jim Henson cutting the ceremonial ribbon, Anthony founded the Center for Puppetry Arts, which filled a need for a place in the U.S. where puppetry could be explored by both artists and audiences. Today, the Center has grown to be the largest non-profit organization in the nation dedicated solely to the art of puppetry. Vincent Anthony continues to serve as the Center's Executive Director. Under Anthony's leadership, the Center has received a record 13 Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA, the US division of Union Internationale de la Marionnette, the international organization for the art of puppetry. He has received the Puppeteers of America President's Award (1989); the Lexus Leader of the Arts Award (2001); and the Georgia Arts & Entertainment Legacy Award (2007). He has served on review panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, Georgia Council for the Arts, and Theatre Communications Group. He was a member of the Delta Airlines Global Diversity Alliance from 2007 to 2016 and member of the White House Disability Group from 2009 to 2017. Since 1992, he has served as General Secretary for UNIMA-USA, and has served as an Executive Committee Member (1996-2004) and Vice President (2000-2004) of UNIMA International, representing puppeteers in over 65 countries.