Ballard Institute to Open BECOMING MODERN Exhibit on U.S. Puppetry

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present the grand opening of its new exhibition Becoming Modern: U.S. Puppetry in the Twentieth Century on Thursday, March 26 with refreshments served at 5 p.m., and a free tour at 5:30 p.m. The tour will also be streamed on Ballard Institute's Facebook Live. All events will take place at the Ballard Institute, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.

U.S. puppetry in the early twentieth century reflected popular European traditions—as well as African American and some Asian forms—but also saw the emergence of innovations based on the idea of puppetry as a modern performance form. U.S. puppeteers in the 1940s and 50s saw that puppetry was still considered a low-culture entertainment form for children but began to develop new forms and contexts for puppetry to be understood as a modern art form for all audiences in theater, film, and television. This exhibition focuses on puppet innovations in live performance, a variety of forms on varying stages, and multiple different influences.

Becoming Modern: U.S. Puppetry in the Twentieth Century, curated by Ballard Institute Director John Bell, includes work by puppeteers Basil Milovsoroff, Larry Reed, Sandy Spieler, Dan Hurlin, Janie Geiser, Peter Schumann, Theodora Skipitares, Eric Bass, Sidney Chrysler, Amy Trompetter, Brad Brewer, Zuni Maud, Robert Anton, Nicola Seraphine, Charles Ludlam, Bob Baker, and Stephen Kaplin.