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Kermit, Miss Piggy, Cookie Monster and a host of goblins and gelflings will come to Brisbane when a world-first exhibition opens exclusively at the Gallery of Modern Art from September.
Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company has been curated by the gallery and offers a unique journey behind the scenes of The Muppet Show, Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street as well as films Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and many more.
Puppets, animatronic creatures, sets, props, costumes, original drawings and moving image clips will be on display.
The exhibition will include the Great Hall set from the television series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, taking audiences behind the scenes of a working puppeteer’s film set.
Arts Minister Jean-Paul Langbroek said the exhibition would boost Queensland’s reputation as a key cultural destination.
“We’re a tourism and events state, as we saw just over the weekend with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo,” he said.
“The arrival of the wild and wonderful creatures of The Jim Henson Company at GOMA will add even more kaleidoscopic colour to our state capital, delighting locals and visitors.”
Minister for Tourism Andrew Powell said the exhibition would deliver up to 110,000 visitor nights to Queensland and an anticipated $22 million boost for the state’s economy.
QAGOMA director Chris Saines said the exhibition would be unparalleled in scope.
“The exhibition will celebrate the Henson Company’s extraordinary legacy, highlighting the specialist work of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, where artists and makers have truly revolutionised the art of puppetry.”
Saines said the show would also highlight productions with an Australian connection, such as the 2023 feature The Portable Door, filmed in Brisbane, and science-fiction series Farscape, filmed in Sydney.
Exhibition curator Amanda Slack-Smith said the idea for the show germinated two years ago when she visited The Jim Henson Company in Los Angeles while compiling GOMA’s Fairy Tales show.
“They were just so generous when I was talking to them about that show, and I’m like, ‘there’s something here’.
“I got to visit the studio where they were making puppets and I got to meet Oscar the Grouch. And I’m like, ‘I’m in love.’”
The Muppets have been a cultural institution since the 1970s, and The Muppet Show has recently been rebooted on Disney+.
Make, Believe, Magic: The Worlds of The Jim Henson Company will open on September 12 during Brisbane Festival.
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Nick Dent is a Culture Reporter at Brisbane Times, covering arts and things to do in the city.Connect via email.From our partners
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