50 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • APRIL 20, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM buzz Astoria museum raises $40K in 30 hours to create a permanent ‘Muppets’ exhibit BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected] @AngelaMatua Th e Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in Astoria asked for help from the community to make an upcoming exhibit on ‘Th e Muppets’ creator Jim Henson a permanent part of the museum — and 30 hours, later the museum met its goal. Organizers asked for $40,000 to help restore the approximately 175 puppets that will be on display at 36-01 35th Ave. and construct the cases that will hold the puppets. Henson, best known as the creator of Th e Muppets, began creating puppets in high school. He joined “Sesame Street” in the 1960s where he introduced his most famous character, Kermit the Frog. Th e Kickstarter campaign was supposed to run through May 11 and the museum created a video with the help of Neil Patrick Harris, Bonnie Erickson (designer of Miss Piggy) and museum staff that describes how Henson personally infl uenced them. Now, the museum has set a new goal of $100,000. “We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from the community of Jim Henson fans,” the Kickstarter page read. “Your generosity has enabled us to meet our goal of $40,000 to preserve and install the puppets in Th e Jim Henson Exhibition in just two days. We hope you will continue to support us and help us spread the word about this campaign, as we extend our eff orts to preserve Jim’s legacy: we are setting a new goal of $100,000, which will help us restore more puppets in the Museum’s Jim Henson collection.” “Th e Jim Henson Exhibition” will feature more than 40 original puppets including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Elmo, Cookie Monster, the Fraggles, and a Skeksis from “Th e Dark Crystal,” as well as puppet prototypes, original character sketches, behind-the-scenes footage and photographs and interactive puppetry design and performance experiences. Th e Jim Henson Company will also loan artifacts for the exhibition. Th ose who donate to the campaign will receive prizes such as tickets to screenings, merchandise such as T-shirts and chocolate, signed autographs from famed puppeteers and a oneyear museum membership. Th ose who pledge $200 or more can receive one-of-a-kind collectors’ items and can sponsor the restoration of a puppet. To donate, visit the Museum of the Moving Image’s page at www.kickstarter.com. Go down memory lane with this exhibit on The Floating Hospital in LIC BY ANGELA MATUA [email protected] @AngelaMatua An upcoming art exhibit in Long Island City will showcase memorabilia from the 150-year-old Floating Hospital that has not been displayed publicly. Th e Floating Hospital (TFH), founded in 1886, is one of the city’s oldest health care charities. It provides primary health care to domestic violence survivors living in safe houses and families living in homeless shelters, and for years, doctors operated out of a ship along the East River. It recently celebrated its 150th anniversary. In 1875, the fi rst Floating Hospital on the vessel “Emma Abbot” was launched, and families living in cramped and polluted tenements were able to have a respite from their living conditions while receiving preventive care. On April 17, “Th e Floating Hospital—A Legacy of Caring Since 1866” opened at the Citigroup Building at One Court Square and documents the organization’s work providing care to all New Yorkers. On display are photographs showing children receiving fresh milk and vaccinations and artifacts such as a ship’s bell from 1916 and an 1899 logbook of people who received care. Th e exhibition was curated by graduate students from Queens College and St. John’s University who participated in a yearlong fellowship run by the Citi Center for Culture and Queens Library. Jeff rey Delgado and Regina Carra from Queens College and Pamela Griffi n-Hansen from St. John’s University poured through archives and made recommendations on what pieces to preserve and display. Th e exhibition also highlights the advances in medicine made throughout the 18th and 19th century and will also feature photographs of patients receiving care in TFH’s facilities today. “Th e Floating Hospital is one of the few remaining health care institutions driven by charity,” said TFH President and General Counsel, Sean Granahan. “In our long, storied history, we witnessed health care develop from the ground up, and have been a singular witness to the changes brought about through science. What hasn’t changed is our devotion to relieving those who need it, and this exhibit refl ects over a century of dedication to that mission.” Viewers will also see the entertainment provided to patients on these ships – from a traveling library to music performances, families were able to unwind when they received critical care. “Th e most interesting part of working with Th e Floating Hospital has been the going through the vast amount of material they have in their archive. Th eir collection is fantastic and represents a long history of record keeping dating back to the beginning years of the institution,” said Delgado, a graduate fellow at Queens College. The exhibition will run through June and the hospital is still looking for a permanent home. Today, a Queensbridge clinic provides services to those living in public housing and a primary health care clinic opened last year at Astoriabased nonprofi t Reality Houses. TFH also operates fi ve off -site clinics in homeless shelters in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Th e organization runs a free transportation program called the Good Health Shuttle, which serves thousands of homeless families and residents of public housing. For more information, visit the www.thefl oatinghospital.org. Photo courtesy of MoMI The Museum of the Moving Image is asking for the public’s help to install a permanent Jim Henson exhibit. Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Basin Collection An exhibition will showcase the work of a Long Island City organization that has provided health care to low-income families for decades.
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