Changes: The Art of the Muppets (exhibit)

Revision as of 17:58, 26 January 2019

WTCN-TV_What's_New_1980_Nancy_Nelson_interviews_Jane_Henson — WTCN-TV What's New 1980 Nancy Nelson interviews Jane Henson

Jane Henson interviewed in 1980 by WTCN-TV's local program *What's New?* for The Art of the Muppets exhibit in Minnesota.

The Art of the Muppets was a touring exhibit designed by Henson staffer Mari Kaestle, which made its debut at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in Lincoln Center in New York City in 1979. The exhibit showcased Jim Henson's creations, featuring photos, puppets, and video footage, including a 25 minute highlight reel.

Due to the exhibition's success, a touring version was created. Starting at the San Diego Museum of Art, it toured nineteen cities, finishing the tour at the Salt Lake ART Center in Utah in December 1986.^[1]

The puppets on display included Kermit, Sam, Yorick, Harry and other characters from Henson's earliest series Sam and Friends; Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Camilla, Rowlf the Dog, Sweetums, Robin the Frog, Statler and Waldorf, Dr. Julius Strangepork and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem from The Muppet Show; Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Count von Count, Grover, Sherlock Hemlock, Roosevelt Franklin and some Anything Muppets from Sesame Street; King Ploobis, Scred, Peuta, Wisss, Vazh and The Mighty Favog from Saturday Night Live's "The Land of Gorch" sketches; characters from Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas; and the Nativity puppets from John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together.^[2]

Other highlights of the exhibition included a touch wall, set up for visitors to feel the actual materials that went into the construction of the characters, an audio tour with Kermit the Frog and a model showing how Kermit and Miss Piggy managed to ride bicycles in the productions.

A 2014 book, American Puppetry, describes the genesis of the exhibit: "There was initially considerable concern and much discussion as to the techniques that could be employed to guard against the puppets appearing lifeless in an exhibition. As these characters had already become quite beloved and believable, great care was taken through positioning and lighting to convey the impression that the characters were merely stopped temporarily, frozen in action, in order to meet their audience friends directly. A style of floor-to-ceiling glass case was chosen to allow full access and visibility for audiences of all ages, and theatrical lighting was an integral part of the presentation. Kids who were found repeatedly hugging the whole cases seemed to confirm the success of the efforts."^[1]

One syndicated article about the exhibit noted that Mari Kaestle, who helped develop the exhibit, had expressed initial concern that the characters would lack charm and warmth when displayed as inanimate objects, but was won over by the fact the show would feature their craftsmanship.^[3]

A book was released in conjunction with the tour, The Art of the Muppets.

After the success of the Art of the Muppets tour, an international touring show was created: Jim Henson's Muppets Monsters & Magic, which traveled to Germany, England, Canada and the US. The second tour ran from 1987 to 1995.

(Note: In September 1988, Jim Henson wrote in his diary: "Art of the Muppets opens at the Museum of The Moving Image in London." Henson was talking about the international tour, which at this stop was called The World of Jim Henson: Art & Animatronics.^[4] This error led Henson archivist Karen Falk to believe that The Art of the Muppets continued into 1989, with its last stop in London.^[5])

Known venues

1979 — Lincoln Center in New York City, New York

December 9, 1979 to January 13, 1980 — The San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California. The acting director of the museum, Steven Brezzo, was a "college friend of Jim Henson".^[6]^[3]

June 8 to June 29, 1980 — Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado^[7]

August 1 to September 15, 1980 — New Orleans Museum of Art in New Orleans, Louisiana^[7]

July 19 to September 1, 1980 — Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois

October 4 to November 9, 1980 — Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, Minnesota^[8]

November 29, 1980 to February 10, 1981 — Museum of Science and Industry in Los Angeles, California^[9]

April 4 to May 17, 1981 — Witte Museum in San Antonio, Texas. A 13-foot-tall Kermit, suspended by wires outside the venue, was stolen in mid-April.^[10]

June 27 to August 2, 1981 — de Young Museum Hall of Flowers in San Francisco, California

September 11 to October 25, 1981 — Museum of Art in New Orleans, Louisiana

November 20, 1981 to January 3, 1982 — Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia

December 26, 1982 to February 6, 1983 — Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Canada^[11]^[12]

September 11th to October 24th, 1982 — Detroit Institute Of Arts in Detroit, Michigan

March 1st to April 22nd, 1984 — The Museum of Science in Miami, Florida

October 5th, 1985 to January 5, 1986 — Children's Museum of Indianapolis, Illinois^[13]

November 21, 1984 to January 13, 1985 — San Antonio Museum of Art in San Antonio, Texas

October 5, 1985 to January 5, 1986 — Children's Museum of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana

October 11 to December 1, 1986 — Salt Lake ART Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

Gallery

Sources

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 "Exhibitions and Collections of the Jim Henson Company", Leslee Asch, in American Puppetry: Collections, History and Performance, edited by Phyllis T. Dircks, 2014.
↑ Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Kentucky) December 1, 1980
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Mark Barabak through UPI, "Muppets now art objects", The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), 7 December 1979, A-13. Contains the end date.
↑ Template:Medialink on the Jim Henson's Muppets Monsters & Magic page.]
↑ Jim's Red Book - 6/5/1979 – ‘Lincoln Center Library – Party exhibit of The Art of the Muppets (runs thru Aug.)’ (2013-06-05)
↑ "Coming Up in North County (Special Advertising Supplement)", The Los Angeles Times, 22 November 1979. Only notes "through January" for the end date.
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Florida) June 8, 1980
↑ St. Cloud Times (Saint Cloud, Minnesota) October 3, 1980
↑ "Miss Piggy just has star quality", The San Bernardino County Sun, Dec. 1, 1980.
↑ "13-foot Kermit hops it", The Toronto Star, 19 April 1981, A1.
↑ "Entertainment Guide", The Toronto Star, 23 December 1982, B6; article also notes the exhibit was not included in the normal price of admission, but was a $2 up-sell.
↑ Adele Freedman, "It's a Muppet invasion: Kermit, Miss Piggy and friends take over the Science Centre", The Globe and Mail, 25 December 1982, E5. (Article only explicitly notes the end date, but was published the day before it opened.)
↑ "The Art of the Muppets", History of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

[Puppetry-1] 1.0 ^1.1 "Exhibitions and Collections of the Jim Henson Company", Leslee Asch, in American Puppetry: Collections, History and Performance, edited by Phyllis T. Dircks, 2014.

[Owensboro-2] Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Kentucky) December 1, 1980

[UPISanDiego-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Mark Barabak through UPI, "Muppets now art objects", The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), 7 December 1979, A-13. Contains the end date.

[4] Template:Medialink on the Jim Henson's Muppets Monsters & Magic page.]

[5] Jim's Red Book - 6/5/1979 – ‘Lincoln Center Library – Party exhibit of The Art of the Muppets (runs thru Aug.)’ (2013-06-05)

[6] "Coming Up in North County (Special Advertising Supplement)", The Los Angeles Times, 22 November 1979. Only notes "through January" for the end date.

[tampabaytimes1980-7] 7.0 ^7.1 Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Florida) June 8, 1980

[8] St. Cloud Times (Saint Cloud, Minnesota) October 3, 1980

[9] "Miss Piggy just has star quality", The San Bernardino County Sun, Dec. 1, 1980.

[10] "13-foot Kermit hops it", The Toronto Star, 19 April 1981, A1.

[11] "Entertainment Guide", The Toronto Star, 23 December 1982, B6; article also notes the exhibit was not included in the normal price of admission, but was a $2 up-sell.

[12] Adele Freedman, "It's a Muppet invasion: Kermit, Miss Piggy and friends take over the Science Centre", The Globe and Mail, 25 December 1982, E5. (Article only explicitly notes the end date, but was published the day before it opened.)

[13] "The Art of the Muppets", History of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:Artoflogo2.jpg|right|310px]]
+[[File:Artoflogo2.jpg|right|310px]]
+[[File:Art_of_the_muppets_poster.jpg|thumb|300px]]
-[[File:Jim's Red Book "The Art of the Muppets Exhibit"|thumb|300px|Michael Frith takes a peek at the exhibit in 1984.]]
+[[File:WTCN-TV What's New 1980 Nancy Nelson interviews Jane Henson|thumb|300px|[[Jane Henson]] interviewed in 1980 by WTCN-TV's local program ''What's New?'' for The Art of the Muppets exhibit in Minnesota.]]
-[[Image:Poster.artofthemuppets.jpg|thumb|300px|Promotional poster.]]
-'''The Art of the Muppets''' was a touring exhibit designed by Henson staffer [[Mari Kaestle]], which made its debut at the Lincoln Center in New York City in [[1979]]. The exhibit showcased [[Jim Henson]]'s creations, featuring photos, puppets, and video footage, including a 25 minute highlight reel.
+'''The Art of the Muppets''' was a touring exhibit designed by Henson staffer [[Mari Kaestle]], which made its debut at the [[New York Public Library]] for the Performing Arts in [[Lincoln Center]] in New York City in [[1979]]. The exhibit showcased [[Jim Henson]]'s creations, featuring photos, puppets, and video footage, including a 25 minute highlight reel.
-Various posters and promotional materials were created to garner interest in a nationwide tour which included puppets from several Jim Henson productions including ''[[Sesame Street]]'', ''[[The Muppet Show]]'', the "[[Land of Gorch]]" characters used during the first season of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' and one of Henson's earliest series, ''[[Sam and Friends]]''. Highlights of the exhibition included a touch wall, set up for visitors to feel the actual materials that went into the construction of the characters, an audio tour with [[Kermit the Frog]] and a model showing how Kermit and [[Miss Piggy]] managed to ride bicycles in the productions.
-Due to the exhibition's success, a touring version was created. Starting at The San Diego Museum of Art, it toured twenty additional cities, finishing the tour at London's Museum of the Moving Image in 1988.
+Due to the exhibition's success, a touring version was created. Starting at the San Diego Museum of Art, it toured nineteen cities, finishing the tour at the Salt Lake ART Center in Utah in December 1986.<ref name="Puppetry">"Exhibitions and Collections of the Jim Henson Company", Leslee Asch, in ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=VVQd4UD7k40C&pg=PA241&dq=%22art+of+the+muppets%22+american+puppetry&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwikn8LOvIzYAhUEKWMKHQNvB94Q6AEIJzAA#v=onepage&q=%22art%20of%20the%20muppets%22%20american%20puppetry&f=false American Puppetry: Collections, History and Performance]'', edited by Phyllis T. Dircks, 2014.</ref>
+The puppets on display included [[Kermit the Frog|Kermit]], [[Sam (Sam and Friends)|Sam]], [[Yorick]], [[Harry the Hipster|Harry]] and other characters from Henson's earliest series ''[[Sam and Friends]]''; Kermit, [[Miss Piggy]], [[Fozzie Bear]], [[Gonzo]], [[Camilla the Chicken|Camilla]], [[Rowlf the Dog]], [[Sweetums]], [[Robin the Frog]], [[Statler and Waldorf]], [[Dr. Julius Strangepork]] and [[Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem]] from ''[[The Muppet Show]]''; [[Big Bird]], [[Ernie]], [[Bert]], [[Cookie Monster]], [[Oscar the Grouch]], [[Count von Count]], [[Grover]], [[Sherlock Hemlock]], [[Roosevelt Franklin]] and some [[Anything Muppets]] from ''[[Sesame Street]]''; [[King Ploobis]], [[Scred]], [[Peuta]], [[Wisss]], [[Vazh]] and [[The Mighty Favog]] from ''[[Saturday Night Live|Saturday Night Live's]]'' "[[The Land of Gorch]]" sketches; characters from ''[[Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas]]''; and the [[Jesus Christ|Nativity puppets]] from ''[[John Denver & the Muppets: A Christmas Together]]''.<ref name="Owensboro">''Messenger-Inquirer'' (Owensboro, Kentucky) December 1, 1980</ref>
+Other highlights of the exhibition included a touch wall, set up for visitors to feel the actual materials that went into the construction of the characters, an audio tour with [[Kermit the Frog]] and a model showing how Kermit and [[Miss Piggy]] managed to ride bicycles in the productions.
+A 2014 book, ''American Puppetry'', describes the genesis of the exhibit: "There was initially considerable concern and much discussion as to the techniques that could be employed to guard against the puppets appearing lifeless in an exhibition. As these characters had already become quite beloved and believable, great care was taken through positioning and lighting to convey the impression that the characters were merely stopped temporarily, frozen in action, in order to meet their audience friends directly. A style of floor-to-ceiling glass case was chosen to allow full access and visibility for audiences of all ages, and theatrical lighting was an integral part of the presentation. Kids who were found repeatedly hugging the whole cases seemed to confirm the success of the efforts."<ref name="Puppetry" />
+One syndicated article about the exhibit noted that [[Mari Kaestle]], who helped develop the exhibit, had expressed initial concern that the characters would lack charm and warmth when displayed as inanimate objects, but was won over by the fact the show would feature their craftsmanship.<ref name="UPISanDiego" />
 A book was released in conjunction with the tour, ''[[The Art of the Muppets (book)|The Art of the Muppets]]''.
+After the success of the ''Art of the Muppets'' tour, an international touring show was created: ''[[Jim Henson's Muppets Monsters & Magic]]'', which traveled to Germany, England, Canada and the US. The second tour ran from 1987 to 1995.
-According to the Henson archivist [[Karen Falk]], the exhibition evolved into ''[[Jim Henson's Muppets Monsters and Magic]]'', and had its final stop at [[London]]'s Museum of the Moving Image in 1989, while further stops of said exhibition are actually known.<ref>[http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2013/06/05/651979/ Jim's Red Book - 6/5/1979 – ‘Lincoln Center Library – Party exhibit of The Art of the Muppets (runs thru Aug.)’] (2013-06-05)</ref>
+(Note: In September 1988, [[Jim Henson]] wrote in his diary: "Art of the Muppets opens at the Museum of The Moving Image in London." Henson was talking about the international tour, which at this stop was called ''The World of Jim Henson: Art & Animatronics''.<ref>{{medialink|filename=WorldofJimHensonPoster.JPG|text=Poster}} on the [[Jim Henson's Muppets Monsters & Magic]] page.]</ref> This error led Henson archivist [[Karen Falk]] to believe that ''The Art of the Muppets'' continued into 1989, with its last stop in London.<ref>[http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2013/06/05/651979/ Jim's Red Book - 6/5/1979 – ‘Lincoln Center Library – Party exhibit of The Art of the Muppets (runs thru Aug.)’] (2013-06-05)</ref>)
 ==Known venues==
-* Lincoln Center in New York City, [[New York]]: 1979
+* 1979 — Lincoln Center in New York City, [[New York]]
-* The San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, [[California]]: Unknown date
+* December 9, 1979 to January 13, 1980 — The San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, [[California]]. The acting director of the museum, Steven Brezzo, was a "college friend of Jim Henson".<ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/165703627/?terms=%22art+of+the+muppets%22+exhibit Coming Up in North County (Special Advertising Supplement)]", ''The Los Angeles Times'', 22 November 1979. Only notes "through January" for the end date.</ref><ref name="UPISanDiego">Mark Barabak through UPI, "[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15778176/muppets_now_art_objects/ Muppets now art objects]", ''The Pantagraph'' (Bloomington, Illinois), 7 December 1979, A-13. Contains the end date.</ref>
-* Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, [[Illinois]]: July 19 - September 1, 1980
-* Witte Museum in San Antonio, [[Texas]]: April 4 - May 17, 1981
+* June 8 to June 29, 1980 — Denver Art Museum in Denver, [[Colorado]]<ref name="tampabaytimes1980">''Tampa Bay Times'' (St. Petersburg, Florida) June 8, 1980</ref>
-* de Young Museum Hall of Flowers in [[San Francisco]], California: June 27 - August 2, 1981
-* Museum of Art in New Orleans, [[Louisiana]]: September 11 - October 25, 1981
+* August 1 to September 15, 1980 — New Orleans Museum of Art in New Orleans, [[Louisiana]]<ref name="tampabaytimes1980" />
-* [[Center for Puppetry Arts]] in Atlanta, [[Georgia]]: November 20, 1981 - January 3, 1982
-* Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, [[Canada]]: December 26, 1982 - February 6, 1983
+* July 19 to September 1, 1980 — Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, [[Illinois]]
-* Detroit Institute Of Arts in Detroit, [[Michigan]]: September 11th - October 24th, 1982
-* The Museum of Science in Miami, [[Florida]]: March 1st - April 22nd, 1984
+* October 4 to November 9, 1980 — Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, [[Minnesota]]<ref>''St. Cloud Times'' (Saint Cloud, Minnesota) October 3, 1980</ref>
-* Children's Museum of Illinois, [[Illinois]]: 3 months around October 1985
-* Salt Lake ART Center in Salt Lake City, [[Utah]]: October 11 - December 1, 1986
+* November 29, 1980 to February 10, 1981 — Museum of Science and Industry in [[Los Angeles]], California<ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15778455/miss_piggy_just_has_star_quality/ Miss Piggy just has star quality]", ''The San Bernardino County Sun'', Dec. 1, 1980.</ref>
-* Museum of the Moving Image, [[London]]: 1988
-:Additional venue, not recognized by the Jim Henson Company Archivist<ref>[http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2010/10/21/10211985/ Jim Henson's Red Book] - 10/21/1985 "In Indianapolis – Art of Mups"</ref>:
+* April 4 to May 17, 1981 — Witte Museum in San Antonio, [[Texas]]. A 13-foot-tall Kermit, suspended by wires outside the venue, was stolen in mid-April.<ref>"13-foot Kermit hops it", ''The Toronto Star'', 19 April 1981, A1.</ref>
-* London Regional Children's Museum in London, Ontario: 1990
+* June 27 to August 2, 1981 — de Young Museum Hall of Flowers in [[San Francisco]], California
+* September 11 to October 25, 1981 — Museum of Art in New Orleans, [[Louisiana]]
+* November 20, 1981 to January 3, 1982 — [[Center for Puppetry Arts]] in Atlanta, [[Georgia]]
+* December 26, 1982 to February 6, 1983 — Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, [[Canada]]<ref>"Entertainment Guide", ''The Toronto Star'', 23 December 1982, B6; article also notes the exhibit was not included in the normal price of admission, but was a $2 up-sell.</ref><ref>Adele Freedman, "It's a Muppet invasion: Kermit, Miss Piggy and friends take over the Science Centre", ''The Globe and Mail'', 25 December 1982, E5. (Article only explicitly notes the end date, but was published the day before it opened.)</ref>
+* September 11th to October 24th, 1982 — Detroit Institute Of Arts in Detroit, [[Michigan]]
+* March 1st to April 22nd, 1984 — The Museum of Science in Miami, [[Florida]]
+* October 5th, 1985 to January 5, 1986 — Children's Museum of Indianapolis, [[Illinois]]<ref>"[https://thehistory.childrensmuseum.org/exhibits/art-muppets The Art of the Muppets]", History of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.</ref>
+* November 21, 1984 to January 13, 1985 — San Antonio Museum of Art in San Antonio, [[Texas]]
+* October 5, 1985 to January 5, 1986 — Children's Museum of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, [[Indiana]]
+* October 11 to December 1, 1986 — Salt Lake ART Center in Salt Lake City, [[Utah]]
 ==Gallery==
-<gallery heights=209 captionalign=center spacing=small>
+<gallery spacing="small">
 Image:Vitruvianfrog.jpg
-Image:Art-of-the-Muppets-ticket-stub.jpg|Salt Lake City ticket stub
 Image:Artoflogo3.jpg
+Image:Art-of-the-Muppets-ticket-stub.jpg|Salt Lake City ticket stub
+Art of the Muppets Salt Lake City.jpg|Salt Lake City poster
+Image:Poster.artofthemuppets.jpg|Signed poster
 Image:Exhibits_AOTM_PigsinSpace2.jpg|[[Pigs in Space]] puppets on [[Dave Goelz]] and [[Richard Hunt]] cut-outs
+File:Art_of_the_Muppets_pig_wall.jpg
 Image:Jh muppetpupets.jpg|Jim Henson at the exhibit
 Image:Exhibits_AOTM_TouchWall.jpg|The touch wall
@@ Line 40: / Line 72: @@
 Image:Aotmchicago.jpg|Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago poster
 Image:KermitThinkerArtExhibitPoster.jpg|Detroit Institute of Arts poster
+Art of the Muppets poster CA Museum of Science and Industry.jpg|California Museum of Science and Industry poster
 Image:Artofthemuppetsjacket.jpg|''The Art of the Muppets'' jacket
 Image:Button_art_muppets.jpg|Button sold at the exhibit
 -09-19@16.30.47.JPG|Detroit Institute of Arts Puppets-Muppets souvenir button
+art card 04.jpg|Art of the Muppets postcard
-Image:Artofmuppets-kermitcard.jpg|Postcard sold at the exhibit
-Image:PiggyArtOfMuppetsPostcard.jpg|Postcard sold at the exhibit
+Image:Artofmuppets-kermitcard.jpg|Kermit the Frog postcard
+Image:PiggyArtOfMuppetsPostcard.jpg|Miss Piggy postcard
-Image:ArtofMuppetsFragglePostcard.jpg|Postcard sold at the exhibit
+art cards 08.jpg|Sam and Friends postcard
+art of the muppets postcard sesame street.jpg|''Sesame Street'' postcard
+art card 05.jpg|Sweetums and Robin postcard
+art card 06.jpg|Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem postcard
+EmmetOtterPostcard.jpg|Emmet Otter postcard
+Image:ArtofMuppetsFragglePostcard.jpg|Fraggle Rock postcard
+art of the muppets postcard set 1980 b.jpg|Back of the postcards
+children's museum indianapolis indiana 1985 kermit celebrate the magic button pin.jpg|Children's Museum of Indianapolis button: "Celebrate the Magic"
+kermit piggy carousel.jpg|Promotional photo for the Children's Museum of Indianapolis' exhibit, taken on one of the museum's carousel horses
+art of the muppets 1982 ontario science centre keychain 1.jpg|Ontario Science Centre keychain
+art card 03.jpg
 </gallery>
 ==Sources==
 <references/>
-[[Category:Exhibits|Art of the Muppets, The]]
+__NOWYSIWYG__
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Art of the Muppets, The}}
+[[Category:Exhibits]]