"The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited" coming to Peoria!

The Peoria Riverfront Museum will be the next stop for "The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited."

This stop will be the multimedia exhibitions last American appearance before embarking on a European tour.

"The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited" spotlights the career of the late puppeteer and filmmaker, who developed the Muppets for Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and directed Labyrinth.

The exhibition features Muppets, puppets, photographs, TV and film clips, behind-the-scenes footage and interactive puppeteering experiences, the museum said in a news release.

Peoria Riverfront Museum will host "The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited"
Sept. 28 - January 5, 2025.

Center for Puppetry Arts "Down in Fraggle Rock Special Exhibition"!

Dance Your Cares Away at the Center for Puppetry Arts as they present a special Fraggle Rock Exhibition. 

Take a deep dive into the Fraggle Rock universe with this behind-the-scenes look into the history and making of the 1980s Henson Company classic TV show Fraggle Rock, and the 2022 version of the series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. Classic characters from the original series including Sprocket, Red, Mokey, and the original Jr. Gorg, are joined by new characters featured in Fraggle Rock: Back to The Rock such as The Fraggle Troubadours and returning characters like The Ink Spots. Silly creatures, you won’t want to miss this one!

The exhibit opened last week and runs through November 3rd. 

Tickets for the exhibit are included with admission to the museum and can be purchased on the Center's websitewebsite. 

Puppets of New York Coming to Museum of the City of New York!

The Museum of the City of New York is about to host many famous Puppets of New York and examine how puppetry has impacted New York City and the influence the city has on this artform all over the world.

Opening on August 13, 2021, the exhibition features more than 100 puppets spanning New York City history, from theater, television, and street life, including Lamb Chop, Sesame Street, Avenue Q and Lion King on Broadway, avantgarde theater, parades, and more.

Puppets of New York is also part of the partner programming for the International Puppet Fringe Festival (August 11-16, 2021), and is complemented by a companion exhibition downtown at The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center.

“New York City is a global capital of puppetry, where diverse communities and traditions intersect and collaborate, and where new innovations to the art form are born,” said Whitney Donhauser, Ronay Menschel Director and President of the Museum of the City of New York. “Our exhibition showcases the long history of puppetry in New York City and the influence of the city on this whimsical and adventurous art form.”

Puppets of New York covers three themes that emphasize the ubiquity of puppets in urban space—The Stage, The Set, and The Street—and shows the power of puppetry to reveal culture, politics, and art. The history of puppetry in New York is a powerful lens not only into rich cultural traditions and creative stagecraft, but into the dynamics of the multiple communities that have made New York New York.

• The Stage examines how puppets became ingrained in the city’s theater industry, from the Modicut Yiddish Theater of the 1920s, to the masterworks of Tony Sarg and Bill Baird, and Broadway productions such as Avenue Q and The Lion King.

• The Set surveys the role puppets have played within New York City’s media industry and the role of New York television in broadcasting the art of puppetry to a global audience. Featured puppeteers include Shari Lewis and Jim Henson.

• The Street deals with puppets in the city’s street and community life. Examples include Chinatown’s Lunar New Year celebrations, puppets from Halloween Day Parade, and the political work of Bread and Puppet Theater.

“Puppets are not just child’s play. They often reflect the cultural changes, diverse communities, and political events that impact urban life,” said Monxo López, the exhibition’s curator and a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Museum. “Immigrants from around the globe turned New York into a mosaic of puppetry traditions that both mirror their places of origin and blend with one another."

Highlighted puppets on display include:

• Lamb Chop puppet (first time ever in a museum)
  
  
• Duke Ellington puppet
  
  
• Howdy Doody
  
  
• Lion King on Broadway
  
  
• Being John Malkovich
  
  
• Albert Einstein puppet
  
  
• Oscar the Grouch
  
  
• Avenue Q puppet
  
  

Puppets of New York opens at The Museum of the City of New York August 13. 

MOMI Reopens with Henson Exhibit Updates!

The Museum of the Moving Image reopened this weekend with some updates to their Jim Henson exhibit. 

The Kermit on display since the exhibition opened has been replaced with one from 1963.

It's "only the second Kermit ever made, and before the character acquired his trademark collar and flippered feet." The puppet on loan from Heather Henson was designed by Jim Henson and built by Henson and Don Sahlin.

Above are MoMI Deputy Director for Exhibitions Wendell Walker and former Henson puppet builder and stylist Bonnie Erickson installing the puppet.

Other areas have have changed as well, with new objects added by guest curator Karen Falk, Archives Director of The Jim Henson Company!

They include a cartoon drawn by a teen-aged Jim Henson and materials from The Cube, the experimental TV program directed by Henson and co-written with Jerry Juhl, that aired in 1969.

There's a sketch by costume designer Polly Smith for the 1980 Janice puppet, accompanied by test swatches and the knitting pattern for Janice’s sweater.

MoMI's temporary hours are Fridays, 2–8pm; Saturdays and Sundays 12–6pm.

More info about the museum can be found on their website. 

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Exhibit Coming To NYC!

An exhibit of the puppets and creatures from The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is coming to the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. 

"Creatures from the Land of Thra: Character Design for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance"

 Will open next week on September 11 and run until February 23, 2020. 

Creatures from the Land of Thra: Character Design for The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance explores the process of designing the fantastical characters for the new Netflix series, a prequel to the 1982 film co-directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. 

The exhibit features a selection of concept art, maquettes, puppets, and behind-the-scenes images, tracing the collaboration between concept artist Brian Froud, who originated the world of Thra in The Dark Crystal, and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, which built the puppets for the series. Highlights include the Hunter Skeksis, the General Skeksis, a Fizzgig, and the All-Maudra and Seladon Gelflings, as well as a series of detailed maquettes, created by Toby Froud, which were used as models for the characters. 

Info and tickets to the museum can be found here.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is currently streaming on Netflix.

Banjo and Trolley Museums salute Jim Henson!

Two museums that you normally wouldn't associated with the Muppets are are honoring Jim Henson and his legacy: American Banjo Museum and the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. 

“Jim Henson – Life and Legacy” an exhibit curated by Karen Falk of The Jim Henson Company, recently debuted at the American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City.

From Sam and Friends to The Muppet Show with guest stars such as Roy Clark and Steve Martin, to Muppet characters like The Country Trio the banjo was featured prominently in many Henson/ Muppet productions culminating with Kermit's landmark performance of "Rainbow Connection" in The Muppet Movie. 

“The Rainbow Connection” earned the the Muppets Oscar nomination and because of that connection Jim Henson was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame Sept. 8.

In addition to Kermit the Frog, original artwork, rare photographs and pop culture objects, the exhibit features one of the most famous banjos of all time: the "Muppets Banjo."  

Originally owned and played by British musician Martin Kershaw, it has arguably accompanied more stars than any other banjo in history. After playing the banjo at Royal variety shows for Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother, Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Princess Margaret, Kershaw was engaged to be part of the studio band for "The Muppet Show," which was produced in England from 1976 to 1981.  

When "Muppet Show" guest star Julie Andrews signed the head of Kershaw’s banjo in 1977, a tradition began. During subsequent tapings of "The Muppet Show," guest stars including Gene Kelly, Roy Rogers, Johnny Cash, Elton John, Diana Ross, Peter Sellers and many more signed the famous banjo until it became impossible to find even a tiny space to fit another signature. After nearly being destroyed in a fire, the Muppets Banjo was retired and subsequently acquired by Heather Henson, youngest daughter of Jim Henson. After musically mingling on more than 7,000 recordings with stage and screen legends such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, James Cagney, Peggy Lee, Danny Kaye, Fred Astaire and Sammy Davis Jr., the Muppets Banjo will rest on its laurels at the American Banjo Museum as a unique piece of banjo history.

The exhibit officially opened Sept. 8 and runs through August 2019, Heather Henson was on hand to cut the ribbon.

For more information, go to www.americanbanjomuseum.com

From Banjos we turn our attention to trains... Dinosaur Trains specifically. The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum has a new exhibit created around Dinosaur Train.

From the Observer Reporter:
This article is written and sponsored by by Range Resources.

This weekend, the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum will debut a new exhibit centered on the PBS KIDS series “Jim Henson’s Dinosaur Train”. The interactive display will include characters from the show, rides on a restored antique trolley, children’s games, and special guests from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History who will share fun facts and an exhibit featuring fossils, dinosaurs, reptiles and more.

As Executive Director Scott Becker gets ready for the Dinosaur Train to roll into town, he is excited about not only what’s ahead for the Museum, but all of the history behind it as well. “The museum has really been on a roll for the last several years, and we’ve grown dramatically. But our main attraction and our mission remains the same: telling the story of Pennsylvania’s Trolley Era.”

According to Becker, the history of trolleys is inexorably linked to the history of American growth and greater prosperity. “We’ve had trolleys operating in Western Pennsylvania since 1890, which was really the dawn of the electric age,” says Becker. “At that time, when people would see a trolley coming down the street and they’d see the sparks from the electric wire connected to each trolley overhead, for most of them, that was the first time they’d ever seen electricity outside of a lightning storm. Trolleys revolutionized living patterns, how suburbs were built around cities – Canonsburg was a trolley suburb. People would take the trolley to work, to go to school, to go shopping. Many people’s lives revolved around access to the streetcar and today, it’s a great story about America in the 20th century: how the country grew, how cities grew, and how communities were linked together by the inter-urban trollies.”

Becker has been with the Museum since 1993. But his love for trolleys began long before that. “I grew up next to the New Haven railroad in Connecticut, and those were electric trains. I started volunteering with a trolley museum near there when I was 15 years old, and I’ve been at it ever since, over 45 years now!”

At the PA Trolley Museum, visitors can climb aboard restored trollies and take a ride on what Becker describes as the old inter-urban line that ran from Pittsburgh to Washington. “It was originally built in 1903, the same year the Wright Brothers flew the first airplane. And it was in service until August of 1953.” While the museum has had to replace and restore some of the tracks and wire over time, there are still some parts of the line that are original. “And we actually have the last trolley that ran the line in 1953 here at the museum as well.”
Range Resources is a long-time supporter of the PA Trolley Museum. Over the last ten years, the company has donated close to $175,000. Becker says that support has been key to the Museum’s continued operations and growth. “We are blessed to have the support that we get. It’s huge. And Range Resources is really a great example of a company that has stepped up and helped us in a lot of ways. They have been great neighbors for us here in Washington County, and in fact, our property is literally right next to Range’s Independence Field Office in Washington so they really are our neighbors!”

Range’s Mike Mackin points to the history that the oil and gas industry shares with trolleys. “This year,Range is celebrating 25 years of operations in Pennsylvania, but the oil and gas industry has been here much longer than that. In fact, the very first oil well in the country was drilled just outside of Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859. As that industry grew, manufacturing followed, and trolleys were helping to transport workers to the jobs that built this country. We’re proud to partner with the Trolley Museum and to share such an important aspect of American history.”

And that history is shared with visitors from around the world. “We’ve had visitors from Japan, Germany, Australia, England,” says Becker. “Our volunteers come from quite a distance too. We have a base of approximately 150 volunteers who help us run every aspect of the Museum. Some are local, but others come from places like from Boston, Massachusetts; from upstate New York; Atlanta, Georgia; Cleveland; Philadelphia. Last year they donated over 30,000 hours to the Museum. These are people who just love what we’re doing here at the Trolley Museum, and they want to be part of preserving this history.”

Along with the new Dinosaur Train Exhibit that will open on Saturday, September 22, the Museum recently debuted a new Trolley Operator Simulator, and in October, the annual Pumpkin Patch Trolley exhibit will once again hit the tracks in Washington County.

For more information on times and tickets: call (724) 228-9256 or visit www.patrolley.or

New Henson Exhibit Pops Up!

A pop-up Henson exhibit is currently making its way through Mississippi! Our friend and puppeteer David Stephens is there now and gives us the scoop!

 

Hattiesburg, MS has an annual event called Festival South. This year, they are spotlighting famous Mississippians, Jim Henson being one of those. The festival coordinators worked with the Henson Company and Henson Legacy to create a traveling mobile exhibit which travels to various locations during the three week festival. I was hired to perform my shows, give a reading of Brad Meltzer's "I am Jim Henson" and Jeff Domke, Education Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Puppetry Arts was hired to teach puppet workshops for children during the festival to tie into the Henson theme. The panels will hopefully travel to other points of interest in Mississippi once Festival South concludes.

Since most of us won't be able to get to Mississippi to see the exhibit in person, David sent these pictures of the event. Be sure to click on the images to see a larger version. It's like virtually being there!

  

  

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

  
 

 

Our thanks to David for the photos and info. We'll be on the lookout for more info as the festival continues.

Another Traveling Henson Exhibit on The Way!

A new Henson traveling exhibit may be coming to a town near you in the coming years.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited will open May 20 at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture.

From MoPOP: The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) is excited to announce The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited. Organized by the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), the traveling exhibition will make its world premiere at MoPOP on May 20, 2017 and remain on view through January 3, 2018. The traveling exhibition will open in advance of MoMI’s permanent gallery dedicated to the renowned puppeteer, director, and producer, which will debut this year.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited is a dynamic new visitor experience exploring Jim Henson’s groundbreaking work for film and television, and his transformative impact on popular culture. This comprehensive exhibition reveals how Henson and his team of builders, performers, and writers brought to life the enduringly popular worlds of The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and much more.

The exhibition features a broad range of artifacts related to Henson’s unparalleled career, including more than 20 puppets, character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, film and television clips, behind-the-scenes footage, iconic costumes, and interactive experiences that allow visitors to try their hand at puppeteering on camera and designing a puppet.

Imagination Unlimited begins with a brief look at Henson’s early life through images of Henson as a young man and reproductions of some of his early drawings and sketches, and then follows his steady rise and immense contributions to the art and industry of the moving image. Highlights include a Kermit the Frog puppet from 1978; handwritten scripts from Henson’s first television series, Sam and Friends (1955–1961); a clip from his Academy Award-nominated experimental film Time Piece (1965); Jen and Kira puppets from The Dark Crystal (1982);familiar Sesame Street puppets including Grover, Ernie and Bert, and Count von Count; plus Jareth and Sarah’s ballroom costumes from Labyrinth (1986).

The exhibition prominently features an exploration of The Muppet Show from a concept Henson first developed in the early 1960s to an internationally beloved series. This section features iconic puppets that helped define this world-wide brand, including Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, and Scooter, as well as material from the Muppets’ transition to the big screen, with set models and storyboards illustrating how sets were designed to accommodate puppets and performers.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited is a traveling exhibition organized by Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria, New York) in cooperation with The Jim Henson Company, The Muppets Studio LLC, and Sesame Workshop. The exhibition features puppets and other objects donated to the Museum by the family of Jim Henson, plus works on loan from The Henson Company’s archives. Later this year, the Museum will open The Jim Henson Exhibition, a permanent gallery and exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Henson, at its home in New York.

In addition to the exhibit, the museum will alo host a "Campout Cinema" screening of The Muppet Movie on May 21. 

"Bring the outdoor movie experience indoors with MoPOP’s Campout Cinema series, featuring film screenings on MoPOP’s mammoth Sky Church screen alongside cinematically-inspired fun. At Campout Cinema, MoPOP invites you to get comfy and relax under LED stars on blankets, pillows, cushions, and sleeping bags from home (no chairs please). With photo ops and drink specials before the screening and during intermission—as well as trivia, giveaways, and other surprises—every Campout Cinema event offers a unique and super themed movie-going experience."

More info and tickets can be found here. 

For more details about the museum, visit MoPOP.org.

Greenwich CT Historical Society Hosts Henson Family Exhibition!

Jim and Jane Henson: Creative Work, Creative Play
will run from April 5–October 8, 2017 at the Greenwich Historical Society

From Greenwich Post:

On April 5, the Greenwich Historical Society will answer the question, “Who are the people in your neighborhood?” with a resounding: “The Hensons!” With the opening of Jim and Jane Henson: Creative Work, Creative Play at the Storehouse Gallery, the Historical Society sets out to explore the Hensons’ Greenwich years, during which the pair’s boundless creative energy set the backdrop for both work and family life as they laid the foundations for what would result in a global entertainment phenomenon.  

Jim (1936-1990) and Jane (1934-2013) Henson, best known as creators of The Muppets, made Greenwich, CT, their home from 1964 until 1971. The family grew to include five children, six cats, a couple of dogs, various other animals (real) and more than a few monsters (imaginary). Life at their historic home on Round Hill Road was infused with imagination and artistic expression, reflecting the Hensons’ playful and inventive approach to parenting and their work as artists and performers.  

Believing that art should be central to education, Jim and Jane were enthusiastic local participants in the founding of The Mead School in 1969, where art became a core part of the curriculum. More broadly, their intense interest in television’s educational possibilities led to their involvement in the iconic Sesame Street series, which premiered the same year. Drawing on their Muppet work and observations of their children at home, they made essential contributions to the show reflecting a deep understanding of the power of the medium as a tool for early childhood education.  

The Hensons’ imagination and creativity, which they instilled in their five children, continue to inspire and educate new generations around the world. Through paintings, objects, puppets, photographs and film, Jim and Jane Henson: Creative Work, Creative Play celebrates the delightful overlap of the Hensons’ family life with their contributions as artists, performers, and parents. Pieces on display will include a 1963 Kermit the Frog puppet; a 1971 Robin puppet that appeared in The Frog Prince; original drawings, which became the basis for classic, Sesame Street-style, rapid-fire counting; a dollhouse built by Jim based on the design of their Round Hill Road home and numerous behind-the-scenes photos. Also on display will be vintage clips from Sesame Street and from early video experiments and collaborations, along with Jane’s paintings and sculptures and materials and projects documenting her involvement at The Mead School.  

The show is curated by Karen Falk, Archives Director of The Jim Henson Company, and Karen Frederick, Curator of Collections at the Greenwich Historical Society, with contributing curator Cheryl Henson and the support of the Henson Family, The Mead School, The Jim Henson Company, The Jim Henson Legacy, Sesame Workshop and The Muppets Studio/Disney. The exhibition and related public programs are funded in part by Connecticut Humanities and The Jane Henson Foundation.  

A number of exhibition-related programs will be held, including a Story Barn (an evening of storytelling based on The Moth format) with the theme “Imagine That!” (April 28); an evening with Cheryl Henson (May 3); a screening of Jim Henson’s commercials and experiments led by Craig Shemin, former Henson staff writer and president of the Jim Henson Legacy (June 1); a history puppet slam and especially for kids, family programs involving puppetry on CT Open House Day (June 10) and at the Historical Society’s Fall Festival and Scarecrow competition (October 8).

Jim and Jane Henson: Creative Work, Creative Play runs April 5 through Oct. 8, at the Greenwich Historical Society, Storehouse Gallery, 39 Strickland Road, Cos Cob, CT 06807, 203-869-6899, greenwichhistory.org

Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.

Adults: $10; students and seniors: $8. Admission is always free to members and to children age 18 and under.

Admission is free to all the first Wednesday of each month.

Group tours may be arranged.

Docent-led Curator’s Eye Tours are available on Wednesdays and Sundays at 12:15.

To learn more, visit greenwichhistory.org.