The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry is hosting a two-day event, the “Wonderland Puppet Theater Symposium”, this weekend, Oct. 25-26, offering an opportunity for University of Connecticut students to explore how art, activism and social movements intersect.
The event is part of the Ballard’s ongoing exhibition “Wonderland Puppet Theatre: Visions of the Beloved Community,”curated by Paulette Richards. The goal is to provide a platform to explore the work of two pioneering women in puppetry, Alice Swann and Nancy Schmale, whose productions engaged with major social movements of the 1960s. Richards, a self-described independent researcher, has taught puppetry programs at schools including Georgetown University, Tulane University and in Senegal.
Swann and Schmale’s original puppet work, inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., reflected contemporary issues from the Civil Rights movement to the evolving roles of women in society. For attendees, the Ballard is promoting the symposium as a chance to foster discussions about how themes of desegregation and the “marriage agreement” continue to shape today’s cultural landscape.
The symposium will be held in the Ballard Museum black box theatre, located in Downtown Storrs-Mansfield at 1 Royce Circle.
The event kicks off on Friday with a tour of the exhibition and a keynote address by Richards, followed by a screening of “In Black,” a documentary on African American puppeteers directed by Jacqueline Wade. Post-screening discussions with Wade will offer students a unique perspective on how African American artists have used puppetry to share stories of resilience and identity.
On Saturday, the symposium shifts to panel discussions that may resonate with a wide range of academic interests. Topics include how female artists have historically navigated gendered divisions of labor, the influence of children’s media on social values and the continuing issue of residential segregation. The panels will be presented by UConn faculty members, including Nancy Naples, a sociology and women’s, gender and sexuality studies professor, and Stephen Ross, an economics professor. Additional speakers from Rutgers University and Exeter will also be featured, alongside puppetry talent.
According to the event listing, the workshop is being supported by a UConn School of Fine Arts Anti-Racism Grant and UConn Humanities Institute Speaker, Conference, and Workshop funding. It also lists the event as being co-sponsored by UConn’s African American Cultural Center, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program and the Robert T. Leo Jr. Fund for Excellence in the Dramatic Arts.
The Wonderland Puppet Theater Symposium is free, but registration is required. To register for in-person and virtual attendance, visit bimp.ticketleap.com.
The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry is an extensive museum, showcasing exhibitions, performances and forums related to puppetry and theater. UConn is one of few colleges to offer puppetry programs and is the only school in the country to offer three degree levels in the field, according to the School of Fine Arts webpage.