The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry will present the grand opening of its new exhibition Art, Movement, Imagination: 60 Years of UConn Puppeteers on Saturday, May 31, with refreshments served at 4 p.m. and an in-person exhibition tour at 4:30 p.m. by curators Matthew Sorensen and Dr. John Bell, with Puppet Arts Program head Bart Roccoberton. The tour will also be streamed on Ballard Institute’s Facebook Live feature (facebook.com/BallardInstitute). All events will take place at the Ballard Institute, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.
In conjunction with the 60th anniversary of UConn’s internationally acclaimed Puppet Arts program in 2025-2026, the Ballard Institute will celebrate the talents of scores of UConn Puppet Arts alumni who have graduated from the program over the past 60 years, and the diversity of their creations since their time at UConn. Art, Movement, Imagination will highlight over 50 puppeteer alumni and their work in design, building, live performance, film, television, education, and innovative technologies. It will feature a rich array of hand puppets, rod puppets, shadow puppets, toy theater, giant puppets, video, and photographs.
The exhibition opening is free (donations greatly appreciated), and reservations are not required.
The museum will be closed through May 31 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, but visitors are encouraged to pay as they wish. Learn more at bimp.uconn.edu.