Summer camps have children exploring all sorts of activities.

But puppet building?

Today’s camp at the Anton Art Center offers tweens and teens a rare opportunity to make and create funny characters like those they see on television or whatever their imagination might conjure up.

It will also introduce them to Jeff Jantz.

He’s the artist and founder of Jantzer Studios, a magical place hidden among the historic homes in Mount Clemens, where all of the sketches, sculptures and gadgets that Jantz builds to create his puppets, props and silly characters for independent films, live theater and children’s books are brought to life.

“This is Toto,” Jantz said, while holding the little dog that’s appeared in several productions of the “Wizard of Oz,” and demonstrating how the mechanism he created allows the puppet to walk and talk.

Not far from where Toto sat was a saber tooth tiger and giant mammoth.

“These are all part of my puppet rental business,” said Jantz, whose soft-spoken mannerisms were akin to Jim Henson, the mastermind behind the Muppets and characters such as Kermit the Frog, Big Bird and Miss Piggy.

“I never met him,” Jantz said, of America’s legendary puppeteer. “But I know people who did.”

That alone is inspiring to the puppet builder, who graduated from East Detroit High School in 1997, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Wayne State University. He’s now pursuing a master’s degree at WSU, which will expand his opportunities as an educator, while also working on a new TV series that he and his co-creators are hoping to get picked up by Detroit PBS (Public Broadcasting Station).

“It’s a kids’ show about two aliens who come to Earth to learn about humans,” Jantz said, while assembling one of the puppets featured in the show. “The first person they meet on Earth is an artist and they decide that art is the best way for them to learn about people.”

Young audiences who watch the show will not only be entertained by Jantz’s alien characters but in the process will learn about famous artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh and Auguste Rodin.

“We have several concept episodes done,” said Jantz, who is also the author and illustrator for several children’s books.

Looking back on his work, Jantz said it was a trip to the library with his kids, where he came across a children’s book featuring clay sculptures, that inspired him to use his sculptures to create illustrations.

“I do sculpture. Then I stage it and photograph it. So, it’s like stop motion illustrations,” said Jantz, whose four day camp at the Anton Art Center focuses on puppet building but teaches a whole lot of other cool things like drawing, sewing, sculpting and even engineering.

“I love teaching,” said Jantz, who has also led several summer camps for Wayne State University’s C2 Pipeline, which is an after school program that provides at-risk children with activities they might not otherwise be exposed to such as puppet building or sculpting. “I love teaching kids about the things I’m excited about and then seeing them get excited about their own ideas and creativity.”

FYI

The Puppet Makers Camp led by Jeff Jantz of Jantzer Studios still has openings.

The four-day summer camp at the Anton Art Center is designed for children between the ages of 10 and 16.

The camp is open today through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m.

Those who attend will learn the skills to design and bring a customized puppet to life from a master craftsman and puppet builder.

To register for the camp visit TheArtcenter.org