The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry will present the grand opening of its new exhibit Living Objects: African American Puppetry on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 at 6:30 p.m., with refreshments served at 6:30 p.m. and a free tour beginning at 7 p.m. All events will take place at the Ballard Institute, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.
Living Objects: African American Puppetry focuses on an often-overlooked aspect of our culture: the work of African American puppeteers. Co-curated by Paulette Richards and John Bell, this exhibition brings together puppets, performing objects, masks, and video by over twenty different puppeteers from the late 19th century to the early 2000s, and features work by such artists as Nehprii Amenii, Brad Brewer, Ashley Bryan, Edna Bland, Garland Farwell, Susan Fulcher, Cedwan Hooks, Akbar Imhotep, Dirk Joseph, Tarish Pipkins, Papel Machete, and Yolanda Sampson. "Since their arrival in the Americas,” Dr. Richards writes, “African people have animated objects in a rich variety of forms and contexts to reflect an African-derived worldview and represent their experiences and identity." Living Objects: African American Puppetry will help redefine our sense of American puppet history.
This event is part of the UConn School of Fine Arts progressive exhibition opening on Thursday, October 25, beginning at 4 p.m. at the William Benton Museum of Art with a reception for The Business of Bodies: Ellen Emmet Rand (1875-1941) and the Persuasion of Portraiture, and H. Fred Simons African American Cultural Center: Celebrating 50 Years of Service and Activism; and continues at the Ballard Institute with the opening reception and free tour of Living Objects at 6:30 p.m. Transportation between venues will be provided.
For more information, contact: The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu