Special Programs to Accompany 'Jim Henson's Fantastic World' Beginning Today

Museum of the Moving Image today announced the schedule of screenings, special guest appearances, and workshops that will be presented in conjunction with the exhibition Jim Henson's Fantastic World, beginning July 16, 2011. These include a rare and surprise-filled conversation with Jane Henson, co-creator of the Muppets and wife of the late Jim Henson (September 18); screenings of The Muppet Movie and its sequels, The Dark Crystal, Henson's Academy Award-nominated experimental short Time Piece, and more, accompanied by appearances by actors, puppeteers, designers, and other close Henson collaborators; and a weekend 75th birthday celebration for Jim Henson featuring an anthology of Muppet musical moments (September 24 & 25). In addition to feature films, the programs include exclusive showings of compilation programs featuring hundreds of highlights and special moments from the history of the Muppets.

After debuting on television in 1958 with his puppets on a local television station in Washington, D.C., Henson and his collaborative partners evolved into a remarkable and popular creative force in film and television. Throughout the 1960s, Henson and the Muppets rose to national prominence on variety shows, talk shows, and Sesame Street. This led to the phenomenally successful The Muppet Show in the 1970s and a series of feature films, including The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Great Muppet Caper. In the 1980s, Henson explored new directions in television and film with series like Fraggle Rock and The Storyteller and films like Labyrinth.

"These matinee screenings celebrate both the childlike wonder and the sophistication of Jim Henson's artistry in films and television programs that are entertaining for all ages," said Carl Goodman, Executive Director of the Museum. "While the exhibition explores Jim Henson's creative process with many behind-the-scenes materials including sketches, storyboards, photographs, and the puppets themselves, his living legacy lies in all of the great movies and television shows he created."

Nearly all screenings are free with Museum admission, which also includes admission to the exhibition. Time Piece will be presented in the Museum's Video Screening Amphitheater, showing continuously from July 9 through September 13. It will also be shown in an archival 35mm print in the Museum's main theater following the conversation with Jane Henson. Programs will continue in October, through the entire run of the exhibition, which closes on January 16, 2012.

This series was organized by Chief Curator David Schwartz and Assistant Curator Rachael Rakes for Museum of the Moving Image, in partnership with The Jim Henson Legacy, Brooklyn Academy Of Music, and Irena Kovarova. It includes programs from the touring series Muppets, Music and Magic: Jim Henson's Legacy.

The Smithsonian traveling exhibition, Jim Henson's Fantastic World, features over 120 artifacts, including drawings, animations, storyboards, props, and video material that illustrate Henson's boundless creativity and innumerable accomplishments. Among the highlights are fifteen iconic original puppets of such characters as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Bert, Ernie, and Miss Piggy; photographs of Henson and his collaborators at work; and excerpts from Henson's early projects and experimental films.

The exhibition spans Henson's entire career, beginning with drawings, cartoons, and posters produced during his college years in the late 1950s and concluding with objects related to the inspired imaginary world of his popular fantasy film, The Dark Crystal. Visitors will encounter materials from Henson's best-known projects, The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie and its sequels, and Fraggle Rock, as well as objects related to his Sesame Street characters. Visitors will also learn about Sam and Friends, an early show Henson created in the 1950s, Henson's television commercial work in the 1960s, and the segments Henson made for The Ed Sullivan Show.

Guided tours of the exhibition will be offered every Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Jim Henson's Fantastic World is organized by The Jim Henson Legacy and Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), in cooperation with the Henson Family; The Jim Henson Company; The Muppets Studio, LLC; and Sesame Workshop. The exhibition is made possible by the BIO channel. Additional support has been provided by The Jane Henson Foundation and Cheryl Henson. The New York run of the exhibition at Museum of the Moving Image is supported by Five Napkin Burger, The Astor Room, and Schmutter, Strull, Fleish Inc.