Center for Puppetry Arts



Center for Puppetry Arts is a museum and theater in Atlanta, Georgia which features traveling and permanent exhibits of puppets, and has two theaters which continually perform puppet shows for children, families, and adults. It also holds puppet-making workshops for schoolchildren, and houses an extensive research library of 1,500 books on puppetry and 1,000 videos of local and international performances:

The theater opened on September 23, 1978, as Jim Henson and Kermit cut the ribbon.

The museum hosted The Art of the Muppets during 1981, and 50,000 visitors saw the exhibit and the related video presentation in the main theater. In 1988, Henson and the Muppets performed live twice to celebrate the Center's 10th anniversary. In 1994, Jane Henson hosted a screening of The Muppet Christmas Carol. During 1996 and 1997, the museum hosted The Vision of Jim Henson. In 1998, the Center hosted a four-day puppetry festival, with a special appearance by Steve Whitmire and Kermit. Also in 1998, to celebrate the Center's 20th anniversary, Cheryl Henson appeared, as did Bear and Tutter. In October 1999, Bear and Ojo appeared. In 2003, Kermit appeared again. In 2005, The Jim Henson Foundation provided a grant to help fund Anne Frank: Within and Without. In January of 2010 the museum presented Steve Whitmire: Perspectives "The Sentient Puppet", a four day class and lecture.

Before the a major expansion and full display of the collection in 2015, the museum's permanent exhibit included original puppets of Link Hogthrob and Dr. Julius Strangepork in their Pigs in Space costumes, a Goblin from Labyrinth, and the original puppet of SkekUng from The Dark Crystal.

In July of 2007, The Jim Henson Foundation announced their intention to donate 500 to 700 original puppets, plus props and designs spanning the entire career of Henson and the Muppets, to the museum, which became the two exhibits Jim Henson: Puppeteer and Jim Henson: Wonders from His Workshop. The Center's Associate Artistic Director is Jon Ludwig (shadow puppeteer for Bear in the Big Blue House). Work on the expansion of the museum intended to house the full donated collection, which was finally announced on January 14th, 2014. A Miss Piggy as Benjamina Gunn puppet was revealed as one of the puppets of the permanent Henson exhibit. The permanent exhibition's grand opening took place on November 14, 2015. In attendance were Brian Henson, Cheryl Henson, Heather Henson and Steve Whitmire with Kermit the Frog.

Exhibits

 * The Art of the Muppets – 1981
 * The Vision of Jim Henson – 1996-1997
 * Jim Henson: A Man and His Frog – July 25, 2007 (on long-term display)
 * Jim Henson: Puppeteer – September 25, 2007 (on long-term display)
 * Jim Henson: Wonders from His Workshop – September 16, 2008 (on long-term display)
 * The Worlds of Puppetry – November 14, 2015 (permanent exhibition)