Although I run the risk of having my geek card revoked, I'm skipping Dragon*Con this year in favor of sticking close to home, catching up on overdue family time and thumbing my way through the Decatur Book Festival here in Atlanta.
That's not to say Dragon*Con isn't rocking with awesome. Alice Cooper, Gillian Anderson and other nerd culture luminaries are present and accounted for. So is Heather Henson, the youngest child of Jim Henson, the king of all Muppetdom.
I love me some Muppets and frog jumped at the chance to interview Heather for the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For some reason the link to the article is broken. So below is the entire piece as I filed it to my editor.
Hopefully by spreading a bit of this Dragon*Con love, my geek credentials are safe in hand.
LATEST HENSON LEGACY CONTINUES PULLING INSPIRATIONAL STRINGS
By Jon Waterhouse
For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(Originally appeared in the Aug. 29th edition of the AJC)
Heather Henson doesn’t quite know what she’s getting herself into. Soon she’ll be stepping into the world of Dragon*Con for the first time, putting herself on the receiving end of over-the-top costumes and explosive imagination.
But it shouldn’t come as a shock. She was raised amid the magical world of her father, Jim, a place inhabited by Muppets, Fraggles and dark crystals. And today she’s carving out her own place in the puppet world by allowing her creative juices to flow with a purpose, while simultaneously promoting and encouraging other puppeteers.
Of course, the bubbly 41-year-old artist with the flowing curls will be setting aside time at Dragon*Con to talk to fans about growing up Henson. However, her main goal is to expose folks to Handmade Puppet Dreams, one of the projects coming out of IBEX Puppetry, Henson’s Florida-based entertainment company.
“It’s about supporting puppet artists who are making films,” Henson said. “We’re asking people to make little fine art films that have to involve puppets. Handmade Puppet Dreams is also about highlighting people’s films that are already out there, and we’re just giving them a platform.”
Since 2007 Henson has been funding and commissioning new films, and accepting submissions of completed shorts to comprise Handmade Puppet Dreams. Each year this self-contained, traveling short puppet film festival reappears with a new volume curated by Henson.
“The great thing about Heather is she supports artists with their films and then she’s out there to help promote the film when it’s done,” said Sam Koji Hale, a Handmade Puppet Dreams filmmaker and producer. “She’s really kind of an angel that way. She gets out there and says, ‘Hey, look at what this great artist has made.’”
Henson did just that for Hale. In 2008 Hale pitched Henson the idea for his fantasy film “Yamasong.” Henson not only agreed to provide funding, but encouraged Hale along the way. This included networking Hale with likeminded artists who could lend a hand.
“Yamasong” won Best Animated Film at the 2010 Dragon*Con Independent Film Festival. This year Hale returns to the convention helping Henson promote other artists and sharing their creations with convention guests. This includes screening films from past volumes of Handmade Puppet Dreams, including “Yamasong,” and a screening of Handmade Puppet Dreams Volume V, featuring a contemporary bundle of discovered puppet films.
These films reflect Henson’s interest in pushing puppetry’s limits. Jim Henson’s work was much broader than simply Kermit the Frog. Heather Henson’s purpose in puppetry reflects that aspect of his legacy.
“I think my dad was always open minded to new things and new interests,” she said. “And it was beautiful the way he could weave something he was inspired by into his work. He really remained open to many different mediums and inspirations.”
Henson continually opens her mind to inspirations. She keeps a strong focus on environmentalism in her work, and one of her more recent performances took place outdoors in Detroit. “In Celebration of Flight,” the story of a young crane, combines puppetry with kite flying.
“That is a really good example,” Henson said. “If [my father] was as intrigued with kites as I am, he probably would’ve done it, too.”
Henson will give Dragon*Con guests an offspring’s-eye-view of her father’s career with Heather Henson Presents: A Daughter Remembers, which was originally created for the touring exhibit Jim Henson’s Fantastic World. But don’t expect a rehash. Henson said the presentation is ever evolving, and she modifies it for each audience.
Henson saw her father’s world from the inside out, which included the 1978 ribbon cutting of the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta. Kermit the Frog and Jim Henson did the honors, and her parents dragged the youngest Henson along. Her most recent work with the Center took place earlier this month. Puppet Slam Network, another IBEX project, co-produced the National Puppet Slam 2012 starring puppeteers from across the country.
“You guys are so lucky to have the Center,” she said. “I think it’s amazing. The shows that are made and developed there are so good. ...There is such great talent.”
The Henson family chose the Center as the potential destination for what they call the “definitive collection” honoring Jim Henson’s legacy. According to the Center, if it happens it would include somewhere between 500 and 700 puppets, props, drawings, films and more. The key, however, is the addition of more museum space.
Although the Center is mum on its current fundraising efforts, Heather Henson said the family still wants it to happen. However, “it’s all tied into the status of the fundraising,” she said.
In the meantime she continues creating her own puppet legacy by furthering her artistic expression and bolstering careers of tomorrow’s puppetry luminaries.
David Stephens, an Atlanta-based puppeteer and founder of All Hands Productions, has collaborated with Henson and praises her work.
“Heather just has a real joy and warmth about her toward the puppet community,” Stephens said. “She’s definitely been a cheerleader for the younger generation of people who are trying to do this. So she holds a real special place for us.”
