Press Release
April 2015
Miss Piggy to Receive Her First Award at the 2015 Sackler Center First Awards at the Brooklyn Museum on June 4 Event to Feature Miss Piggy in Conversation with Gloria Steinem Kermit the Frog to Attend Ceremony
Miss Piggy, ultimate diva and star of stage and screen, who has inspired generations throughout the world, will receive her very first award at the annual Sackler Center First Awards at the Brooklyn Museum. Kermit the Frog, who has received numerous awards and accolades in his lifetime, will be in the audience to witness this great honor. The awards ceremony and reception will take place at the Brooklyn Museum on Thursday, June 4, from 5 to 7 p.m.
A private reception will be followed by the award presentation to Miss Piggy by Elizabeth Sackler. Miss Piggy, who was recently called “The Gloria Steinem of the Muppet world” by the Daily Beast, will give a brief acceptance speech, followed by a 20-minute video retrospective of her career, after which she will take the stage with Ms. Steinem, who has been on hand for the Sackler Center First Awards since its 2012 launch.
The Muppets Studio will be sponsoring several groups attending this special event including children and their families from Ronald McDonald House New York, a temporary home-away-from-home for families battling pediatric cancer; Brooklyn-based Girl Scout Troops 2081 and 2158; Brooklyn-based Girls for Gender Equity; and artists from Groundswell, a community mural project.
The annual Sackler Center First Awards celebrates women who have broken gender barriers and made remarkable contributions in their fields. The 2015 award will be presented to Miss Piggy by Brooklyn Museum Board Chair and founder of the awards, Elizabeth A. Sackler. The awards were inaugurated in 2012, honoring fifteen women in celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, to focus on and celebrate the outstanding contributions of women in diverse fields.
Previous recipients of the Sackler Center First Awards are Anita F. Hill, Julie Taymor, Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Marin Alsop, Connie Chung, Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, Sandy Lerner, Lucy R. Lippard, the late Chief Wilma Mankiller, Toni Morrison, Linda Nochlin, Jessye Norman, Judith Rodin, Muriel Siebert, Susan Stroman, and Faye Wattleton.
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238-6052 T (718) 638-5000 F (718) 501-6134 www.brooklynmuseum.org Recipients of Sackler Center First Awards each receive a glass sculpture created by Judy Chicago.
Elizabeth Sackler comments: “Miss Piggy deservedly joins this august pantheon of extraordinary women who have previously received the award. Miss Piggy embodies exceptional spirit, determination, and grit, when needed, which has taught important lessons about overcoming obstacles to millions of young people, parents, grandparents—and virtually everyone who has ever watched this indomitable character on television or in films.”
“Moi is thrilled—but frankly, not surprised to be receiving this Sackler Center First Award,” Miss Piggy said. “It is truly wonderful to be celebrated and share this honor with fellow legends, role models, and pioneers of female fabulosity. We rock!”
In a recent article, “Miss Piggy Leans In” by Erin Cunningham in the Daily Beast, Miss Piggy is described as “confident, driven, and fights for what she wants. She embraces her ‘extra fabulous’ looks and is unapologetically outspoken. And she doesn’t care what you think about it.”
Tickets are $300; $250 for Museum Members. Tickets for the awards ceremony only are $50 for mezzanine seating; $20 for artists, seniors, and children 12 and under. To purchase, email firstawards@ brooklynmuseum.org or call (718) 501-6423. Proceeds will benefit the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art.
For sixty years, the Muppets have captured audiences with their unique blend of heart and humor. The Muppets, created by the late visionary Jim Henson, are among the world’s most iconic and beloved characters. Led by the world’s most famous amphibian, Kermit the Frog, the Muppets have starred in eight feature films, Emmy Award–winning television series and specials, Webby Award–winning online videos, and hundreds of press appearances worldwide. For more information, visit muppets.disney.com. Follow the Muppets at https://plus.google.com/+TheMuppets.
Founded in 2007, the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art is a nexus for feminist art, theory, and activism. It is the permanent home of The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago, its Forum is a venue for public programs and a platform of advocacy for women’s issues, and its Feminist Art and Herstory galleries present critically acclaimed exhibitions. On view through November 1, 2015, in the Feminist gallery is Zanele Muholi: Isibonelo/Evidence, and through July 12, 2015, in the Herstory gallery is Chitra Ganesh: Eyes of Time. Elizabeth Sackler is a public historian, arts activist, American Indian advocate, and Chair of the Board of the Brooklyn Museum. Dr. Sackler is President of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, New York City; founder and President of the American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation; President of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation; founder of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum; and a longtime member of the Brooklyn Museum Board of Trustees.
Contacts: Helen Allen and Meryl Cooper, Allen/Cooper Enterprises, (212) 260-8100, [email protected]
Photo: Miss Piggy, the persevering porcine pioneer of the arts, internationally famous diva and star of motion pictures, television, stage, and all other media in perpetuity throughout the universe. Miss Piggy © 2015 The Muppets Studio, LLC. All Rights Reserved
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