1993

GRANTS DISTRIBUTED IN 1992 & 1993

Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities Grants
In 1990, The Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities made a donation of $100,000 to the Henson Foundation in memory of Jim Henson. The intention of this grant was to support the many different ways in which puppetry could be used with children. Most of the awards were granted to organizations that used puppetry as a part of its educational and therapeutic programs. The International Festival of Puppet Theater and various theatre groups and homeless organizations also received support for their work targeting younger audiences. 1992 was the first International Festival of Puppet Theater. The Jim Henson Foundation subsequently produced festivals in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000. For more information on these festivals, please go the Henson Festival Archives on this website.

Arm-of-the-Sea Theater – Dreambones and Lightening (1993)
A workshop with 600 children from New York public schools, ending in two performances at Lincoln Center’s Out-of-Doors Play Day. ($2,000)

Arts Partners Afterschool – After-school Arts Program (1991)
A second year of after-school arts programming at P.S. 167, one of the city’s neediest junior high schools. ($2,000)

Berea College Summer Puppetry Program – Summer Puppetry Caravan (1992)
A puppet caravan program bringing workshops and performance residencies to poor communities in Appalachia. ($2,500)

Brewery Puppet Troupe – African Roots and Puppetry (1992)
A workshop led by Brad Brewer on African Roots and Puppetry held at the American Museum of Natural History. ($3,000)

Cathedral of Saint John the Divine – After-school Arts Program (1992)
A series of after-school enrichment courses in puppetry held at the Cathedral and P.S. 75. ($2,000)

Center for Puppetry Arts – Drop Out Prevention Program (1992)
A puppetry workshop held as part of a drop-out prevention program for at-risk youth. ($4,000)

The CityKids Foundation – Puppetry Workshops (1991)
A puppetry workshop to emphasize performance and visual arts skills for children from a variety of backgrounds. ($2,000)

Fools Company – Artsworker Apprentice Activities (1992)
A program to encourage the use of puppetry through Artsworker Apprentice Activities with at-risk youth from New York City schools. ($3,000)

Gracewood State School and Hospital – Adapted Puppetry Program (1992)
A program that makes puppetry available to severely physically challenged clients through assistive technology. ($2,000)

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater – Puppetry Workshops (1992)
A series of puppetry workshops with Minneapolis school kids. ($3,000)

International Festival of Puppet Theater – Outreach Programs (1992)
A series of free outreach performances that will include educational materials on puppetry for the children attending. ($2,000)

Learning through Art – Puppetry Workshops (1991 & 1992)
For puppetry workshops taught by Theodora Skipitares at PS 155 in the Bronx. ($2,000)

Multicultural Puppetry (1993)
For multi-cultural workshops by Camy involving puppet theater. ($3,000)

Ninth Street Theater – Puppetry Workshops (1992)
A collaborative workshop with Orchestra of St. Luke’s to create two works combining live music and puppetry. ($2,000)

Orchard Street Theatre – Puppetry Workshops (1991 & 1992)
A series of workshop with inner city Newark children, followed by a trip to Vermont to participate in the Bread & Puppet festival. ($2,000)

Oregon Puppet Theater (1993)
Puppet theater workshops with Alaskan Eskimo children exploring both the modern and traditional sides of Alaska. ($2,000)

The Perfect Puppet Company – Perfect Puppet Company (1991)
For performances by a company of physically challenged performers. ($2,000)

The Perfect Puppet Company – Perfect Puppet Company (1993)
For continued support of this special project of the National Theatre for the Deaf. ($2,500)

Michael Romanyshyn – Mecate (1993)
For a puppetry exchange between Nicaragua, the United States, and Puerto Rico. ($2,000)

Special Audiences Atlanta, Georgia – Adapting Puppetry and Perceptions (1992)
For performances and workshops at the Gracewood State School and Hospital for youths with severe disabilities. ($5,000)

Special Audiences Atlanta, Georgia – Adapting Puppetry and Perceptions (1991)
For continued support of performances and workshops at the Gracewood State School and Hospital for youths with severe disabilities. ($1,000)

Very Special Arts – Start with the Arts (1991)
For a program developed by this educational affiliate of the JFK Center. ($5,000)

SPECIAL GRANTS

Brooklyn Academy of Music – FRIDA (1992)
For presentation a new work of opera/music theater about the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo as part of the Next Wave Festival. ($2,000)

Puppeteers of America National Festival – Teatro Hugo & Ines
For presentation of Teatro Hugo and Ines at the National Festival in San Francisco. ($1,000)

University of Maryland – Workshop
For a three-credit workshop as part of the launch of the Jim Henson Endowment Fund. ($2,000)

“The Nicaraguan Puppetry Project brought together 60 Nicaraguans form all over the country to work with 8 puppeteers from the US, France and Puerto Rico. A traveling circus was created during 10 days of puppet construction and rehearsals in Managua. It had giant puppets, animal masks and a cast of musicians and ballad singers performing traditional circus acts and skits on the themes of hunger, health care and sustainable agriculture. It toured throughout Nicaragua and was performed in cities and remote mountain villages to thousands of spectators. The grant we received from the Henson Foundation was the catalyst for making this project possible.”

– Michael Romanashyn