Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry Opens 'THE WORK THAT FOLLOWS' Exhibition Today

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry celebrates the opening of its new exhibition, The Work That Follows: 50 Years of UConn Puppeteers today, July 11 With performances of The Nature of Nature at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., The Work That Follows exhibition opening at 2 p.m., And a UConn Puppet Arts Alumni Puppet Slam at 8 p.m.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present the grand opening of The Work That Follows: 50 Years of UConn Puppeteers on Saturday, July 11 at the Ballard Institute, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs, Connecticut. The opening events will include two afternoon performances by UConn Puppet Arts alumna Anna Fitzgerald and current MFA student Gavin Cummins at 1 and 3 p.m., and an evening UConn Puppet Arts Alumni Puppet Slam at 8 p.m.

For 50 years, puppeteers have passed through UConn's unique Puppet Arts Program to study the skills and techniques of imagining, designing, building, and performing new works for puppetry. Though the basic skills of puppetry taught at UConn are perpetually consistent, the work that follows graduation is specific to the hands that created it. The Work That Follows, curated by Anna Fitzgerald (MFA '14), highlights the work of Puppet Arts Program alumni, and how these puppet artists have incorporated their own distinctive perspective with skills learned at UConn. The exhibition features puppets and objects created for live performance, film, and video; as well as photographs and video documentation of performances.

The opening day schedule includes the following events:

- 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.: Performances of The Nature of Nature
In conjunction with the opening celebration and as part of the Ballard Institute's Summertime Saturday Puppet Show Series, Fitzgerald, along with UConn Puppet Arts MFA student Gavin Cummins, will begin the Saturday events with performances of The Nature of Nature at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tickets will be sold in advance through the Connecticut Repertory Theatre Box Office, located in the lobby of the Nafe Katter Theatre at 820 Bolton Rd, Storrs CT 06269. Tickets may be purchased in person at the box office, by calling (860) 486-2113, or online through the CRT website: itkt.choicecrm.net/templates/UCRT/index.php?prod=bimp. A $3.00 surcharge will be added to any purchases made online or over the phone. The CRT Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 12-5 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased at the Ballard Institute on the day of performance. There will be a limited number of seats. For more information, call (860) 486-8580 or visit bimp.uconn.edu.

- 2 p.m.: Gala Opening of The Work That Follows: 50 Years of UConn Puppeteers
Celebrate the opening of this fascinating and colorful exhibition with a toast to the artists and exhibition tours by curator Anna Fitzgerald. Refreshments will be served.

- 8 p.m.: UConn Puppet Arts Alumni Puppet Slam
At 8 p.m. on July 11, the Ballard Institute will host the UConn Puppet Arts Alumni Puppet Slam, featuring short works by current and future alumni, including Anna Fitzgerald, Stephen Kaplin, Jim Napolitano, and more! The Alumni Puppet Slam will take place in the Ballard Institute Theater, is free and open to the public, and is recommended for adult audiences. Funding for this event is made possible in part by the Puppet Slam Network.

The Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry is located at 1 Royce Circle, Suite 101B, Storrs, CT 06268. Call 860-486-8580 or visit bimp.uconn.edu for more information.

Pictured: Hua Hua Zhang's Who Are You? Photograph by Bill Hebert.