Ivan L. Lustig and Michael Barker, Co-Chairmen of the Board of Trustees of Museum of the Moving Image, today announced that Cheryl Henson has been elected to serve as a Museum Trustee.
Cheryl Henson is the President of The
Jim Henson Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors of The
Jim Henson Company. From 1992-2000, Cheryl executive produced the award winning biennial Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater. These five festivals presented 136 different productions from 31 countries in 24 theaters throughout New York City including the five theaters at The Public. The Festival won both the Drama Desk and the OBIE Award, received prestigious coverage and is widely acknowledged as having changed the perception of contemporary American puppet theater today. Cheryl has been the President of The
Jim Henson Foundation since 1992. The Foundation awards grants to artists creating new works of excellence in contemporary American puppet theater. To date, The Foundation has awarded over 800 grants to more than 350 artists.
"Cheryl and her family have been invaluable supporters of the Museum and its mission. The opening of The
Jim Henson Exhibition and the launch of its traveling version have been a dream come true for the Museum and a meaningful gift to the people of the City of New York," said Lustig.
"We welcome Cheryl to our Board of Trustees and look forward to her guidance in many areas, including her leadership in building education programs in conjunction with the Henson exhibition," added Barker.
"I am honored to join the Board of this delightful museum, where I've gotten to know the wonderful staff over the past few years as we worked together on The
Jim Henson Exhibition," said Henson. "I look forward to continuing to support the museum in its presentation of my father's work but also in all of the excellent programming that it does to reach so many people."
Following a major donation of puppets and other material from the family of
Jim Henson and the creation of a gallery space funded by the City of New York, foundations, and private donors, the Museum opened the critically acclaimed The
Jim Henson Exhibition in July 2017. The exhibition takes an expansive view of the creative work of the man best known as the inventor of the Muppets and his contributions to film and television. It traces his career from Sam and Friends, the short puppet segments created with Jane Henson for DC television, through appearances on national television, and his achievements with The Muppet Show,
Sesame Street, the Muppet movies, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, and more.
Museum of the Moving Image (
movingimage.us) advances the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. In its expanded and renovated facility-acclaimed for both its accessibility and bold design-the Museum presents innovative interactive exhibitions; screenings of significant works, from Hollywood classics to previews of new films; discussion programs featuring actors, directors, craftspeople, and business leaders; and dynamic education programs which serve more than 60,000 students each year. The Museum also houses a significant collection of moving-image artifacts.
