Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry facts for kids
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| Established | 1987 |
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| Location | 1 Royce Circle, Suite 101B, Storrs, Connecticut, United States |
| Type | Art museum |
| Owner | University of Connecticut |
The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, often called BIMP, is a special museum all about puppets! It's run by the University of Connecticut and is located close to the main UConn campus in Storrs, Connecticut. It's a fun place to learn about puppets from all over the world.
Contents
Discovering the World of Puppets
The Ballard Institute has one of the largest puppet collections in the United States. Imagine seeing over 2,500 puppets from different countries! These include many types, like marionettes (puppets controlled by strings) and glove puppets (puppets worn on your hand). You can also see rod puppets, shadow puppets, and even body puppets. The museum also has lots of stage pieces used in puppet shows.
The Puppet Media Collection
BIMP is also home to the Puppeteers of America’s Audio-Visual Collection. This is the biggest collection of puppet-related videos and sounds in the United States. There are over 700 items! You can find these in the Kay Janney Library and Archives. This library also has more than 2,500 books, scripts, and posters about puppet theater history. If you are a researcher, you can visit the Janney Library by making an appointment.
Fun Events and Workshops
The Ballard Institute isn't just for looking at puppets. They also host many exciting events! They have puppetry festivals, special exhibits, and live puppet shows. For example, they hosted the big National Puppetry Festival in 2015. The Institute also teaches people how to make puppets in their workshops. They even join in local parades and other fun community events.
The Story Behind BIMP
The museum is named after a very important person in puppetry, Frank W. Ballard. He lived from 1929 to 2010. Frank Ballard started the Puppet Arts Program at the University of Connecticut. This was the first program in the United States where you could study puppetry in college!
Who Leads the Museum?
The managing director of the Ballard Institute is John Bell. He used to be a member of the famous Bread and Puppet Theater company. John Bell is also a professor of Dramatic Arts at UConn's School of Fine Arts.
Where is BIMP Located?
The Ballard Institute used to be on UConn's Depot Campus. But in 2014, it moved to a new place called Storrs Center. Now, it shares its space with a Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Learning About Puppetry at UConn
The University of Connecticut is special because it's the only place in the United States where you can earn a master's degree in puppetry. This means you can study puppets at a very high level!
