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.

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.

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

Known venues

• Lincoln Center in New York City, New York: 1979
• The San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California: Unknown date
• Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois: July 19 - September 1, 1980
• Witte Museum in San Antonio, Texas: April 4 - May 17, 1981
• 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
• Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia: November 20, 1981 - January 3, 1982
• Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Canada: 1982
• Detroit Institute Of Arts in Detroit, Michigan: September 11th - October 24th, 1982
• The Museum of Science in Miami, Florida: March 1st - April 22nd, 1984
• 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
• Museum of the Moving Image, London: 1988

Additional venue, not recognized by the Jim Henson Company Archivist^[1]:

• London Regional Children's Museum in London, Ontario: 1990

Gallery

Pigs in Space puppets on Dave Goelz and Richard Hunt cut-outs

Jim Henson at the exhibit

The touch wall

Big Bird on display

Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago poster

Detroit Institute of Arts poster

The Art of the Muppets jacket

Button sold at the exhibit

Detroit Institute of Arts Puppets-Muppets souvenir button

Postcard sold at the exhibit

Salt Lake City ticket stub

Postcard sold at the exhibit

Postcard sold at the exhibit

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Sources

1. ↑ Jim Henson's Red Book - 10/21/1985 "In Indianapolis – Art of Mups"