Welcome to Lovely Day Creative Arts
&
Sock n'Sew Puppets
Greetings from Miss Edna
Help Us Educate Through Arts Education
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and improve conditions. Your generous donation will fund our mission to teach through arts education.
About Miss Edna
Edna M. Bland is a certified educator, professional puppeteer, teaching artist, arts integration specialist and arts administrator. She has dedicated her life to helping people discover their gifts and talents through the arts.
She has honed her knowledge and skills at such prestigous institutions as The Kennedy Center's VSA and CETA programs, Lincoln Center Education's Teaching Artist program at The Juilliard School and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, England. She has been a guest classroom speaker at all three of her college alma maters, a workshop presenter for national arts organizations and a creative arts ministry workshop in
Rome, Italy.
Prior to becoming an educator, Edna worked in the music and entertainment industry at such organizations as The New York Emmy Awards and Sony Music Entertainment, where one of her accomplishments included contributions to Sesame Street's 35th Anniversary Box Set.
As a puppeteer, she was mentored by Carroll Spinney "Big Bird" and Dr. Loretta Long "Susan" from Sesame Street. She was honored to have been a puppeteer for Jane Henson's Nativity for two touring seasons, and was selected to be a contributor to an exhibit spotlighting African-American puppeteers at the Ballard Museum and Institute at UCONN and the South Florida Puppetry Guild exhibit at the Miramar Arts and Cultural Center.
She has an M.F.A degree in Entertainment Creative Writing, an M.S. degree in Entertainment Business both from Full Sail University, a B.S. degree in Organizational Management from Nyack University and an A.A.S. degree in Music Business
from Five Towns College.
Acculades and Awards
"In all my years of working alongside many puppeteers, I am thrilled to be working with historically one of the first professional African American female puppeteers in the country."
- Dr. Loretta Long "Susan" from Sesame Street
United States Congress: 400 Distinguish Award
The 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in the English colonies (1619). 2021
Florida Association for Theatre Education Award
Outstanding Theatre Arts Educator of the Year 2022.
The Marjorie Batchelder McPharlin Puppetry Arts Award
Puppeteers of America award for puppetry-related contributions in the
field of education and therapy 2023
Executive Leadership Award - Entertainment Business MFA
Full Sail University, 2011
Executive Leadership Award - Entertainment Business MFA
Full Sail University, 2011
Music Album Thank You Liner Notes
Sesame Street Songs From The Street: 35 Years of Music (Box Set), Sony Wonder 2004
Charles Brown Album "All My Life", Tour Publicist/Myers Media 1990
Arts Advocacy
President and CEO
Currently serving as the President and CEO. Previously VP, Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Interim Southeast Regional Director, Former VP of Puppetry Guild of Greater New York (NYC).
Board of Directors
Currently serving as a member on the
state board.
Executive Secretary
Currently serving on the FAAE executive board.
Jr. Thespians District 2 Chair
Jr. Thespians District 2 Chair
Currently serving on the Jr. Thespians State advisory board and Co-Chair for
Jr. Thespian District 2 overseeing all middle school theatre troupes in
Seminole and Volusia Counties.
Education Committee
Jr. Thespians District 2 Chair
Education Committee
Current member of the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center's Education Committee.
Media
WKMG/ News 6 Featured Segment
Featured segment for "Getting Results in Our Schools" for having the only puppetry arts program in Florida.
Orlando Sentinel Newspaper
Featured article for Central Florida's local artists in entertainment.
Ballard Institute and Museum/UCONN
Ballard Institute and Museum/UCONN
Living Objects - African American Puppetry featured artist exhibitor.
Moments in Puppetry Arts
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