Sam Lewis is an actor, poet, vocalist, and recently a puppeteer. He calls himself an accidental puppeteer because, in the early 2000s, he came across a vintage Black Americana marionette in an attic, which started him on an unexpected puppetry journey. Sam explores racial issues and negative iconography with that marionette, whom he renamed Jus Hambone. Sam has grown to have a deep love for puppetry, which he feels is a dynamic storytelling art form. He also gets to explore his love of theater and music in his work, which he is passionate about.

 In late 2018, Sam learned of an incredible family history that has taken him back over 200 years. That revelation redirected his practice. He commissioned the creation of puppets to unpack these histories. Since then, he has been workshopping new work in a fulfilling collaboration with his two sons while continuing his family research, writing a collection of stories for a full-length puppetry and performance piece titled Finding My Place.