The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited
May 26, 2023–December 30, 2023
Few people of the 20th century have had such enduring, wide-reaching, and inter-generational appeal as Jim Henson (1936-1990). His innovations in storytelling revolutionized childrens’ education, and his work from “Fraggle Rock” to “Dark Crystal” had a profound impact on generations of people. And it all started in Maryland.
Bringing Henson Home to Maryland
From May through December 2023, the Maryland Center for History and Culture is hosting the traveling show The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited. Developed by Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), this 5,000-square-foot, Muppet-filled multimedia exhibition is full of hundreds of objects, including puppets, character sketches, storyboards, scripts, costumes, and film and television clips.
With his gently subversive humor, restless curiosity, and innovative approach to puppetry, Henson built the Muppets into an enduring international brand, contributed beloved puppet characters to Sesame Street, and made movies that applied his vivid imagination to stories for the big screen. This exhibition explores Henson’s unique contributions to the moving image, and how he and a talented team of designers, performers, and writers created an unparalleled body of work that continues to delight and inspire people of all ages.
Exhibition FAQ
Jim Henson was a Marylander, and we are proud to bring his story home to Maryland. This is an opportunity for our community to share and reflect on your own childhood nostalgia and his feel-good hometown legacy.
The 5,000 square-foot space is filled with objects, including puppets, photographs, character sketches, puppet interactives, storyboards, scripts, costumes, and film and television clips from the creative work of Jim Henson and his immersive worlds.
This is a multi-generation exhibition good for all ages. There are interactive, hands on parts of the exhibition kids will definitely enjoy.
MCHC is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. On Thursday nights, the museum has extended hours and closes at 8:00 pm.
The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited will be on view from May 26, 2023 to December 30, 2023.
Tickets are $19 for adults, $18 for seniors and students, and $17 for children 2-18. MCHC members and children under 2 years of age have free admission.
Due to capacity limits in the exhibition gallery, timed-tickets are required to visit the MCHC museum and The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited. To guarantee your preferred visit time, we strongly recommend reserving your ticket(s) online in advance for the time you plan on visiting. If the capacity for that time has already been reached, you may need to select another time to visit.
Depending on advanced online sales, limited on-site tickets may be available to purchase if capacity has not yet been reached at that given time.
All ticket entry times are good for a one-hour window. You may continue your visit and explore the museum for as long as you would like to, but please plan on arriving during the window that your ticket is valid for.
Tickets for May and June 2023 will go one sale on April 24 for MCHC members and on May 15th for non-members. Additional tickets will go on sale on the 15th of every month for the following month for the duration of The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited. On June 15th, tickets will go on sale for July; on July 15th, tickets will go on sale for August, and so on.
MCHC members always visit for free, however timed-entry tickets are still required. We strongly recommend that members reserve their tickets through the online ticketing system in advance. To unlock member pricing, be sure to log in with your member ID or email address on our ticketing portal. Depending on advanced online sales, limited on-site tickets may be available to purchase if capacity has not yet been reached at that given time.
Visitors to the library only, who do not wish to tour the rest of the museum, may pay a reduced rate of $9 for adults, $7 for seniors. Library admission remains free for members or students with a valid ID.
No, members receive free admission to the exhibition and can return as many times as they wish for the duration of their membership. At the Family level, purchasing a membership is a more affordable option than paying for two adult and two child tickets individually. Memberships can be added to your cart, along with your tickets, through our online ticket portal.
Admission includes full access to the Museum, including The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited special exhibition.
MCHC is a proud member of Museums for All and Blue Star Museums free-admission programs. Free admission is applicable for the Museum ONLY and must be redeemed either in person or by calling the Visitor Services desk in advance to make a reservation. Visit the program websites for more information about benefits and qualifications for each. Note: The Blue Star Museums program runs from Armed Forces Day in May through Labor Day each year.
Because upcoming events are still being planned out and have not been added to our seasonal program calendar yet, tickets for dates more than two months in the future will not be available for advance purchase.
Historically, Wednesday and Thursdays have been less crowded than Friday through Sunday. Morning hours also tend to be less busy. Through the ticketing portal on our website, you can see how many tickets for each hour time block have been sold.
If you are having difficulties, please contact our Visitor Services desk at 410.685.3750 ext. 0. If you have a question concerning membership, you can contact our Advancement Office at 410.685.3750 ext. 319.
You may purchase a maximum of 6 tickets per transaction. For groups larger than 6, please reach out to our Education team at 410.685.3750 ext. 334 for group tour/sales information and pricing.
All ticket sales are final.
THE JIM HENSON EXHIBITION: IMAGINATION UNLIMITED
In our guided experience of The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited, learn about Henson’s long and innovative career, starting right here in Maryland. (Available June 14 – December 23, 2023).
Details
Audience: high school to adults
Capacity: maximum 15 people
Cost: $125 per group (member price, $100 per group)
Length: 45-60 minutes
Located just a few blocks from the MCHC at 15. W. Franklin Street, the Baltimore City owned Franklin Garage is a convenient place to park nearby. Advanced parking reservations can be booked online here. Validation tickets for parking at the Franklin Garage are available at the Visitor Services Desk but are only good for day of parking, not for advanced online parking reservations.
A limited number of complimentary accessible parking spaces are located on site in the MCHC parking lot and are available on a first come, first served basis. The parking lot entrance is located off Monument Street, between North Howard Street and Park Avenue
Yes, there are restrooms on every floor of our building. Handicap accessible restroom are available on all three floors of the Bar building and gender-neutral restrooms are available in the Jim Henson: Imagination Unlimited exhibition gallery on our second floor.
All floors of the museum are reachable by elevator. A limited number of manual wheelchairs are available to check out by stopping by our Visitor Services Desk.
Baby changing stations are available in each restroom in the Bar Building.
There is limited seating throughout the exhibition, as well as more seating accessible in designated areas outside of the galleries.
This Exhibition is Graciously Supported By:
Emerald |    |
diamond |  |
Platinum |  |
Gold |  |
Silver | Bloomberg Philanthropies Jane Henson Foundation |
Bronze | Annie E. Casey Foundation Mercedes-Benz of Catonsville The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company Alex Fisher, Co-Founder and CEO, BMoreAg |
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