Talk:Jim Henson Foundation

Merge in Cheryl Henson

Cheryl Henson
Born	(1961-08-07)August 7, 1961
Education	Yale University, BA in History Fashion Institute of Technology, Associate's in Textile Design
Known for	Businesswoman and Puppeteer
Awards	New Victory Arts Award
Website	[2]

Cheryl Henson is a businesswoman and puppeteer, best known for serving on the Board of Directors for The Jim Henson Company and as President of the Jim Henson Foundation. She is the second eldest daughter of the late Jim Henson.

Early life and education

Henson was born in 1961 to Jim Henson and Jane Henson (née Nebel). Cheryl built puppets while in high school for The Muppet Show (1976-1979) and before college on The Dark Crystal (1982). She gained a Bachelor's of Arts in History from Yale University in 1984. Later she gained a Associate's Degree in Textile Design from FIT in 1987.

Puppetry Career

Cheryl Henson began her career in puppetry while in high school (1976-1979). During that time, she worked with her father on the first season of "The Muppet Show". According to an interview with Smithsonian Magazine, Henson states that the first puppets she made were “an artichoke, a bunch of asparagus and a grapefruit” .

She continued to work with her father throughout high school in working the Muppet Show as well as The Dark Crystal. After graduating from Yale, she once again worked as a puppeteer on Labyrinth and The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. After taking a hiatus from puppetry to attend college once again, she worked in the Jim Henson Creature shop in London where she worked on more of her father’s projects including Storyteller and Mother Goose Stories.

Business Career

Henson began the start of her business career when she started as the Executive Producer of the Henson International Festival of Puppet Theatre. She held this position from 1992 through 2000. During this time, Henson was also the Vice President of the Jim Henson Company. While holding this position, Henson worked as the liaison between the Jim Henson Company and the Children’s Television Workshop (later to be known as Sesame Workshop).

Book Career

Cheryl Henson has also led two book projects. The first project was developed by the Muppet workshop in 1994. This book, entitled The Muppets Make Puppets, was an introduction on how to make puppets using household objects. The second book, Its not easy being green, and other things to consider (2005) was a collection of quotes by Jim Henson as well as quotes inspired by him. This book was the recipient of the Quill Book Award for “Health/Self Improvement” in 2005.

Advocacy

Henson is great advocate for puppetry arts and served as executive producer for the Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater, which was held annually from 1992 to 2000. In the same time period, she was also Vice President of The Jim Henson Company. She served as Art Director for the Emmy-nominated The Jim Henson Hour segment The Song of the Cloud Forest, and in 1994, she worked with the Muppet Workshop on the book The Muppets Make Puppets. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for The Jim Henson Company and is the President of The Jim Henson Foundation. The Jim Henson Foundation has given over 800 grants to help develop and grow contemporary American puppetry .

Personal Life

She currently lives in New York City with husband Edwin Anthony Finn Jr. (m. 2001) and their two children.

Puppeteer Credits

• Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (crowd scenes)
• John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together
• The Muppet Show, Episode 513
• Labyrinth: Firey 4 (assistant)
• The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (uncredited)