---
title: Cat Free
description: Food waste puppet-maker and lifelong visual artist
url: 'https://www.artsume.com/a/catfree'
type: artist
createdAt: '2026-09-15'
updatedAt: '2026-09-20'
disciplines:
  - Puppet-making
location: 'Peterborough, ON, Canada'
birthYear: 1981
---

# Cat Free

*Food waste puppet-maker and lifelong visual artist | Puppet-making | Based in Peterborough, ON, Canada*

## Artist Statement

I have been a lifelong visual artist, but I have also long been an upcycler. My new practice of food-waste puppet making is directly linked to a social comment on the sheer amount of food waste that is created in modern food systems.

## About

PhD Candidate in Indigenous Studies at Trent University, former chef, lifelong visual artist, food-waste puppet maker, Indigenous food systems researcher. Lifelong fan of horror, practical effects, and puppetry. 

## Curriculum Vitae

### Education

- **2028** - Phd, in Indigenous Studies, Trent University, Peterborough
- **2024** - MSW, in Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, (Medal for Academic Excellence)

### Awards & Grants

- **2026** - Graduate Scholarship, SSHRC

### Professional Experience

- **2024 - Present** - Graduate Teaching Assistant, Trent University, Peterborough

### Gallery Representation

- Ahnisnabae Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, (Current)

## Portfolio

### Recycling Bin Puppetry (2026)

*Recycled cardboard, skewers, popsicle stickers, tape, scissors, pencil crayons and markers.*

I built 3 styles of puppets: Frog named Gerard is a gestalt puppet, Fox name Red is a paper bag puppet, and Whale named Quincy made from corrugated cardboard, popsicle sticks and tape. I taught this style of puppet making to first year undergraduate theatre students 2024-25 to show that they can make something extraordinary from recycling and office supplies.

---

### The Embodiment of Starvation (2026)

*Polymer clay*

It is a polymer clay puppet I made for a project in my MSW as a comment on the world's abundance of food against the alarming starvation rate. The armature is built from wire and aluminum foil. It is strung with butcher's twine.

---

### Creeps (2026)

*Different types of clay*

Sculpted faces. Also a natural byproduct of the puppet making process. I test different sculpting techniques in different mediums often and these are the result. I had a vision of someday making these into one large art installation.

---

### Avocado Seed Magnets (2026)

These magnets are a natural byproduct of the avocado seed carving and curing process. I make these in an effort not to waste the items I have been gifted to upcycle and build from.

---

### For Article Strings of Sustenance... (2026)

This puppet is made from cured avocado seeds, bell pepper stems, apoxy sculpt and various other elements to bring it to life. It is strung with butcher's twine.

## Links

- **instagram:** https://instagram.com/rudecutiepuppets