Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry

05/27/2026

Storrs may seem quiet over the summer, but don’t forget about us! We’re open Wednesday-Friday! Come join us and see our current exhibit Modern Puppetry: US Puppetry in the 20th Century!

05/18/2026

Splendid UConn Puppet Arts Program and UConn alumni presence and performances at Great Small Works's Spaghetti Dinner last night at La Plaza Cultural in New York City's East Village! Tom Tuke, Deungwon Kang, Richard Termiine, Stephen Kaplin, John Bell, Ray Dondero, Harrison Greene, and Hailey Bendar!

05/15/2026

Happy Friday! Today’s the perfect day to stop by the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry for a fun-filled educational journey of puppetry! Our current exhibit, "Becoming Modern: US Puppetry in the 20th Century" is one you don’t want to miss!

Seen here: puppets created by Sandy Spieler, with help from Cecilia Schiller, David Johnson, and the cast for the 1984 production "The Hunt", based on the Biblical Nativity story from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Produced by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre as a benefit for the Sanctuary Movement. Directed and designed by Sandy Spieler. Music direction: Rachel Nelson with Silvia Maria Zúñiga 1984

The Ballard Institute is open Wednesday-Sunday. 🎭

05/11/2026

THIS WEEK! The Ballard Institute kicks off our first Spring Puppet Workshop Series for adults! Join Education Coordinator Tom Tuke for a 4-week Intro to Hand Puppetry workshop on Wednesday evenings from 7-9pm.

In this class, you will learn to build a hand puppet and experiment with basic methods of hand-puppet performance. You will explore the fascinating hand puppets in our current exhibition, Becoming Modern: U.S. Puppetry in the Twentieth Century.

This 4-week workshop is $60 for adults or FREE for students 18+.

Spots are limited, so reserve your seat now!

Spring Puppet Workshop Series: Intro to Hand Puppetry As Storrs quiets down at the end of the semester, things are getting exciting at the Ballard Institute. We are pleased to present two sets of evening workshops – designed for adults. These will be fun, informative, and accessible to beginners a

05/10/2026

The semester is over, but the Ballard Institute is still open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday! Stop by to see our newest exhibit Becoming Modern: US Puppetry in the 20th Century before it closes this fall!

Have an amazing summer! ☀️

05/04/2026

Happy last week of classes, Huskies! As classes wrap up, think about stopping by the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry to enjoy a relaxing environment where you can learn something new!

Our current exhibit is Becoming Modern: US Puppetry in the 20th Century, curated by John Bell.

The Ballard Institute is open Wednesday through Sunday. 🎭

05/02/2026

On Wednesday, May 13 Instructor Tom Tuke will be holding the first session of his incredible four-week workshop series on hand puppetry! These workshops, designed for adults, will teach new and experienced puppeteers alike about hand puppets. Students will create their own hand puppet and develop both performance and design techniques!

Adults: $60 (4 x 2-hour sessions)
Students (18+ or accompanied by a legal guardian): Free!

This workshop will run every Wednesday from 7pm-9pm from May 13 through June 3.🎭 Space is limited, so register today! https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/bimp-0/hand-puppet-workshop

05/01/2026

As Storrs quiets down at the end of the semester, things are getting exciting at the Ballard Institute! We are pleased to present two sets of evening workshops designed for adults. These will be fun, informative, and accessible to beginners and puppet masters alike.

Join instructor Tom Tuke for two series of workshops:

🎭 Intro to Hand Puppetry 🎭

Every Wednesday 7pm-9pm from May 13th to June 3rd –
In this class, students will learn to build a hand puppet and experiment with basic methods of hand-puppet performance. We will explore the fascinating hand puppets in our current exhibition: Becoming Modern: U.S. Puppetry in the Twentieth Century.

🎭 Intro to Shadow Puppetry 🎭

Every Wednesday 7pm-9pm from June 10th to June 24th –
In this class, students will learn techniques for building and performing with shadow puppets, inspired by puppets in the Ballard Institute’s collection.

These workshops are for adults (participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult).

All materials are supplied. Seats are limited, so register today at https://events.ticketleap.com/events/bimp-0

04/27/2026

UConn students from Ilia Medina's Feminisms and the Arts class learned to make simple shadow masks inspired by the work of puppeteer Larry Reed from Ballard Institute education coordinator Tom Tuke. Check out work by Larry Reed and on display at the Ballard Institute!