Letter from the President

It has been more than a year since The Henry Ford closed its venues due to the spread of COVID-19, joining a nation and world in lockdown.

No one had any idea in mid-March 2020 what the future would hold — and certainly we had no way of knowing what was in store for our institution. We simply knew we had to dig in and move through this exceptional time in our history.

Now, as we head into our summer 2021 season, a light seems to be dawning with news of increased vaccination and the promise of increased capacities at public venues. I’m excited for the future and for the number of new offerings we have planned at The Henry Ford.

Opening June 5 in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited (see Page 74) will give visitors a glimpse inside the mind of creative genius Jim Henson and explore the unparalleled work that has entertained us for more than 50 years. This traveling show comes to the museum on the coattails of the longawaited grand opening of our new and highly interactive permanent exhibition, Driven to Win: Racing in America presented by General Motors. The inspiration for an entire issue of this magazine in 2020, Driven to Win opened to the public in March 2021 to great fanfare, and I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to experience racing through its lens of innovation (see Page 64).

While creating much excitement for staff and guests, the visiting Henson exhibition coming this summer has also inspired content for this issue of our magazine. Our new colleagues and friends with the Museum of the Moving Image and The Jim Henson Company, for example, connected us with professional puppeteer and Sesame Street veteran Carmen Osbahr-Vertiz. Through an exclusive interview, you can find out how she went from a young girl growing up in Mexico City to become one of Henson’s celebrated Muppeteers (see Page 20).

Keeping in line with our playful theme, this issue also dives deep into how making and playing with our hands can contribute to living a satisfying life (see Page 28), featuring three of our own Liberty Craftworks artists. Plus, we share the stories of current-day visionaries in the electronic music community who are using their platform and tech know-how to play important roles in mentorship, health and community (see Page 46).

I hope you enjoy The Henry Ford Magazine as much as we enjoy creating it. I look forward to seeing you soon at The Henry Ford.

With gratitude,

PATRICIA E. MOORADIAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO

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The Henry Ford Magazine’s January-May 2020 issue totally dedicated to racing issuu.com/thfmagazinec

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