Abigail Baird serves as Manager of the Online Certificate Program in Puppet Arts at the University of Connecticut and teaches courses within the program. She is a visual and performing artist, director, and producer whose work bridges puppetry, animation, physical theater, and aerial acrobatics. Abigail is the founder of Aerial Animation, an internationally recognized performance company that advanced to the semifinals on America’s Got Talent and La France a Un Incroyable Talent. Her performances have been described as “like opening up a storybook and watching the pages come to life,” blending puppetry, animation, and aerial acrobatics into unforgettable theatrical experiences.

Abigail’s stage credits include The Odyssey (American Repertory Theater), Library Lion (Boston Public Library/Calderwood Pavilion), Nothing Really Matters (Connecticut Repertory Theatre), Metamorphoses and She Kills Monsters (Nafe Katter Theater), and Salvage (Kinetic Arts Center). She holds an MFA in Puppet Arts from UConn, a BFA in Technical Theater, Sculpture, and Puppetry from the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico, and a Certificate in Circus Arts and Physical Theater from Circomedia in Bristol, England. As a professor and arts educator, Abigail is dedicated to developing innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to puppetry, animation, and the performing arts while inspiring emerging artists to bring their own stories to life.