The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will celebrate the opening of its new exhibition, Larry Reed: Cinematic Shadows, on Friday, Nov. 6, with refreshments at 5 p.m., a free curator-led tour at 5:30 p.m., and a Fall Puppet Forum at 6:30 p.m. featuring the exhibition’s curators. The tour and forum will also be streamed live on the Ballard Institute’s Facebook page. All events will take place at the Ballard Institute, 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.
The exhibition marks the first major museum exhibition celebrating the life and artistic legacy of Larry Reed (1944–2026) following his passing earlier this year. Curated by ShadowLight Productions’ Farley Gwazda and Caryl Kientz in collaboration with the Ballard Institute, Larry Reed: Cinematic Shadows explores the groundbreaking work of Reed and his company ShadowLight Productions, whose decades of experimentation combined the traditions of Balinese wayang (shadow puppetry) with contemporary theater and the visual language of cinema. Featuring traditional wayang kulit (shadow puppets), newly acquired production materials from Reed’s landmark productions The Wild Party and A (Balinese) Tempest, and an immersive shadow theater installation with three-dimensional shadow masks and lighting effects, the exhibition traces Reed’s evolution from his apprenticeship in Balinese wayang to the creation of cinematic shadow theater. This exhibition highlights a lifetime of artistic innovation and an ongoing exchange between Indonesia and the United States.
As part of the opening celebration, Gwazda and Kientz will lead visitors through the exhibition during a free curator-led tour beginning at 5:30 p.m. They will then present during a special Fall Puppet Forum titled Larry Reed and ShadowLight Productions: A Legacy of Cinematic Shadows at 6:30 p.m., exploring Larry Reed’s life and artistic legacy, as well as the cinematic shadow theater techniques developed by ShadowLight Productions. This will also be streamed live on the Ballard Institute’s Facebook page.
To learn more about ShadowLight Productions, visit shadowlight.org
Larry Reed’s archives will be preserved at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, where they will be made available to researchers and the public.
The museum will be closed Oct. 19-Nov. 6 while the new exhibition is installed. After the opening, the Ballard Institute will be open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is no set admission fee, but visitors are encouraged to pay as they wish. Learn more at bimp.uconn.edu.