It's story originates with Frank W. Ballard starting the fine arts puppetry program at UCONN in 1965.
Since it's commencement, the program has expanded and become world renowned. The beauty of it is not in the student's capability to make puppets, but in the academic aspects of the art, such as the history of puppetry as well as puppet techniques. They learn the essentials of writing scripts, designing and building puppets as well as performing with them. UCONN's puppetry program releases it's graduates into different realms like theater and doesn't restrict them to just puppetry. Alumni from the program have gone onto working on Broadway, Hollywood films and other prestigious outlets.
The museum offers a unique vacation possibility for children and adults alike. The original collection only included the works of Ballard and UCONN students but now on display are marionettes, shadow figures, rod and finger puppets, and even historically significant puppets from all over the world, some that are centuries old.
When puppets come to mind, the connotation is often negative. They are often described as creepily realistic and this stigma is the result of their depiction in scary movies, such as Dead Silence. In this film the ghost of a murdered ventriloquist haunts its victims through a puppet. When considering visiting this museum, one should be aware that the puppets on display are of the same nature as the ones seen in that movie. Although innovative and creative, some may consider them as being more creepy than they are beautiful. But the history and eclectic characteristics are worth learning about and viewing. Each puppet embodies the hard work, commitment, and planning involved in creating such a detailed piece of art work.
One of the most prominent displays is that of shadow puppetry. In 2007 existed a shadow puppet display with puppets from all around Asia and European countries. Shadow puppets are defined as being used to "cast shadows onto a projection surface of some type, so that the audience sees the shadow of the figure rather than the figure itself." It can be insinuated that this technique is employed for the purpose of mystery and suspense rather than for the purpose of aesthetics. There are two types of this kind of puppetry; direct shadows display figures placed directly on the shadow screen and projected shadows are those constructed on plates and projected onto the shadow surface with an overhead projector.
Don't let the creepy wooden puppets deter you from visiting this fascinatingly unique museum full of character and imaginative exploration. Tours of the museum can be provided and there are other opportunities such as workshops and lectures year round.
Resources:
http://www.damnedct.com/ballard-institute-museum-of-puppetry-storrs/
http://www.ctmuseumquest.com/?page_id=1095
