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Volunteers - Center for Puppetry Arts

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Dear Friends & Supporters,<br />

The <strong>Center</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Puppetry</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> has grown and<br />

matured as a unique Atlanta arts organization over<br />

our 29-year history. Today we are the largest nonprofit<br />

organization devoted to the art of puppetry<br />

in the U.S. One of our greatest strengths is that we<br />

have never waivered from our core mission – to<br />

educate and entertain the young and old through<br />

the magic of puppetry.<br />

The 2007-08 fiscal year was an exceptional one –<br />

with new honors and accolades and the offer of an<br />

incredible gift. The <strong>Center</strong> is entering an exciting<br />

new phase in its history. Not only are we reaching<br />

a new generation – the sons and daughters of<br />

the first children to enter our doors – we’re also<br />

expanding our reach with interactive technology<br />

and successfully connecting to new audiences<br />

through expanded programming.<br />

Without a doubt, one of the most momentous<br />

events in our history occurred this year. The<br />

selection of the <strong>Center</strong> by the family of Jim<br />

Henson as the proposed destination <strong>for</strong> their<br />

definitive collection honoring Jim Henson’s legacy<br />

is an incredible honor and an institution-changing<br />

gift. His creations have touched millions of people<br />

around the world. He was a genius of a man and<br />

also my dear friend. As we plan the construction of<br />

a new wing <strong>for</strong> these 500-700 objects and archival<br />

materials, we urge the community to rise to the<br />

challenge and join us in making the <strong>Center</strong> an<br />

international destination.<br />

The Henson objects will join what is already the<br />

nation’s most extensive collection of puppets from<br />

around the world. We recognize the incredible<br />

responsibility of safeguarding these rare and valuable<br />

artifacts; one of our goals is to achieve professional<br />

accreditation by the American Association of<br />

Museums (AAM). Thanks to the support of the<br />

Institute of Museum & Library Sciences and the<br />

National Endowment <strong>for</strong> the Humanities, we have<br />

begun taking the first steps in this process with<br />

grants to conduct detailed condition surveys and<br />

an inventory of our museum collection.<br />

Recognition of the <strong>Center</strong> as a valuable arts<br />

resource continues to grow with the presentation<br />

of our second Teacher’s Choice Award, Best Content<br />

Provider: Fine <strong>Arts</strong> Museum <strong>for</strong> our Distance<br />

Learning Program. Ten years ago, when we started<br />

taking the <strong>Center</strong> to children via interactive videoconferencing,<br />

it was cutting-edge. Since then, the<br />

demand <strong>for</strong> our arts-infused education programs<br />

exceeded the capacity of our single studio. Thanks<br />

to an Excelerator Grant from AT&T in 2007, we<br />

were able to add a second Distance Learning studio<br />

and provide much needed free programming to<br />

underserved Georgia schools.<br />

These are just a few of the highlights of our<br />

exceptional year, which you can read about inside<br />

this report. None of this would have been possible<br />

without the support of our many donors, audience<br />

members and visitors to our exhibits, our hard<br />

working volunteers and our talented and dedicated<br />

staff members. Thank you all <strong>for</strong> making the <strong>Center</strong><br />

the most magical place in Atlanta!<br />

Sincerely,<br />

Vincent Anthony<br />

Barbara and Bill Wylly Executive Director<br />

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