THE JIM HENSON FOUNDATION
AD: McKinley Anderson CW: Andrew Peña
Tagline: Wonder in Your Hands
Fall 2022
What
The Jim Henson Foundation is a non-profit started by Jim Henson in 1982 to support excellence in contemporary American puppet theater. They give grants to puppeteers, do research on how puppetry affects humans, provide items for exhibition at museums, serve as a connection point for puppeteers, offer professional classes and more.
Idea
Create a new initiative within the JHF that combats the defunding of art programs in low-income areas and empowers kids to tell their own stories the way Jim Henson believed they should.
Write Up
Childlike wonder is a beautiful thing. It allows kids to think, feel, and create freely without boundaries. Unfortunately, not every kid can fully explore this wonder due to school budget cuts that restrict or eliminate art programs. But art should know no economic barriers, which is why the Jim Henson Foundation is taking initiative to bring puppetry and creative outlets to all children. Let there be wonder in your hands.
The Traveling Bus of Wonders
The JHF will bring the campaign directly to low income schools and communities via a traveling art bus.
It will travel to schools for a week at a time and teach children all about the importance and fun that puppetry and art has to offer. The bus will be fully loaded with arts and crafts and be taught by “Wonder Maker” instructors.
Amphitheater and Interactive Mural
In the communities, the JHF will also build amphitheaters in neighborhood parks where kids can create and perform.
The stage backdrop will be a “paint by numbers” mural to encourage the community to come together and to be reminded of the importance of the arts, no matter how small the piece may be.
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