1990_The Art of Bil Baird

Bil Baird’s career in puppetry spanned six decades across television, film and Broadway and led to the creation of nearly 3,000 puppets. In looking at the history of such a prolific puppeteer one can easily become entangled in the numerous details of this extraordinary life. In this exhibition we set out to introduce our audiences to the multiplicities of Bil Baird’s life by illuminating some highlights of his career – Broadway and Flahooley, television and Snarky Parker, film and The Sound of Music, live theatre and Pinocchio. These are simply touchstones. Would that space allowed us to include everything! Baird’s contributions to the field cannot be overemphasized. His work in television was truly pioneering and influenced America’s best loved Muppeteer, Jim Henson.

Baird’s book The Art of the Puppet has become a classic in the field.

Curated By: Kerry McCarthy