Interwoven with shadow puppetry, dance and intricate props, Sha Sha Higby’s work creates a journey in which movement and stillness meet, binding us together as if in an invisible web.

Sha Sha Higby started out making dolls and pursued the art of puppetry  and sculpture in her early years. In 1971 she had a great opportunity to go to Japan for one year and observe the art of Noh Mask and theater. She then received a Fulbright-Hayes Scholarship to study dance and shadow puppet making and performance arts in villages in Indonesia at the Academy of Music, Central Java.

In addition to traveling throughout Southeast Asia, Sha Sha received an Indo-American Fellowship to study the textile arts of India, and a Pilot Travel Grants Fund from Arts International to study in Bhutan. She is also the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts in Solo Theater Fellowship, U.S. Artists at International Festivals and Exhibitions, and Theater Bay Area CASH.

Sha Sha recently studied an additional year lacquer (urushi) arts in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan through the auspices of the Japan-United States Friendship Commission.