The University of Connecticut



The University of Connecticut is a school that was founded in 1881 fo r agriculture in the town of Storrs, Connecticut. UConn is home to The Puppet Arts Program and The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry.

The Puppet Arts Program
In 1964, Professor Frank ballard founded the Puppetry Program.

In 1990, Bart P. Roccoberton took over the role from Professor Ballard, and he bacame the University's new Puppet Arts Professor.

It is the only University puppetry program to give BFA, MA, and MFA degrees in Puppetry in the United States. Pam Arciero, Jan Rosenthal, Tim Lagasse, Mark Gale, Frankie Cordero, Lara MacLean, Heather Asch and Jennifer Barnhart all received degrees in puppetry from the institution. The school also awarded the Jim Henson Memorial Prize in Puppetry to students, for several years.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry
The Ballard Institute, or BIMP, is a museum that has its origins in 1987 to preserve the puppets that Professor Ballard had built. In 1992, the space was officially renamed The Ballard Instutute and Museum of Puppetry. BIMP has been the home of several Henson artifacts, and has been the loan site of puppets from The Jim Henson Legacy. A bust of Jim Henson and The Wizard from The Wizard of Id are members of the museum's collection, and from 2011 to 2013 a 1970s Scooter puppet was on display. Upon the death of Jane Henson, a supporter and friend of Puppet Arts and BIMP, a memorial scholarship was formed to support UConn students who work at the Museum. The museum is featured as one of several museums on the University's campus.