STORRS, CT — John Bell, an internationally renowned puppeteer, professor, and historian of puppet theater, has been appointed director of the University of Connecticut Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry (BIMP).
BIMP, located on the Depot Campus, houses a collection of more than 3,000 puppets, many created by leaders in the field, including Tony Sarg, Margo and Rufus Rose, Bil Baird, and Jim Henson. It also holds a collection of books, letters, musical scores, designs, and scripts of importance to researchers in the puppet arts.
The institute and museum, until now, has been run by volunteers. It was designated the state’s official museum of puppetry in 2003.
Bell’s duties include preserving and building the institute’s collections, organizing exhibits, and conducting archival work on puppets. His position is part-time.
Bell earned a doctorate. in theater history from Columbia University in 1993. While there, he did extensive research in the Brander Matthews Collection of puppets and masks, one of the oldest collections in the United States. He initiated preservation projects for the collection and mounted an exhibition of parts of the collection in the library.
After earning his doctorate, he became a founding member of the award-winning Great Small Works Theater Company. He was a consultant and curator for the exhibits Revealing Roots: Uncovering Influences in Contemporary American Puppet Theater, and Puppets and Performing Objects in the Twentieth Century, both at Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts.
“John Bell is one of the best historians and researchers of puppetry in the United States. We’re delighted to have him,” says David Woods, dean of the School of Fine Arts.” We have the largest collection of any museum in the nation, and now one of the most important archival collections in puppet history,” Woods adds.
September Releases |
