Thank You Thursdays! with Mo Willems
May 2020 was THANK-O-RAMA month with Mo Willems! As part of the monthlong celebration, Disney Publishing Worldwide joined the Kennedy Center for a special video series, Thank You Thursdays! For more Thank-O-Rama ideas, visit or #thankorama.
Join Mo in his studio to spin the Thank-O-Rama Wheel and see who we’ll thank!
To download your Thank-O-Rama gameboard, click here.
Join Mo in his studio to spin the Thank-O-Rama Wheel and see who we’ll thank!
To download your Thank-O-Rama gameboard, click here.
Join Mo in his studio to spin the Thank-O-Rama Wheel and see who we’ll thank!
To download your Thank-O-Rama gameboard, click here.
Join Mo in his studio to spin the Thank-O-Rama Wheel and see who we’ll thank!
To download your Thank-O-Rama gameboard, click here.
Join Mo in his studio to spin the Thank-O-Rama Wheel and see who we’ll thank!
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Mo Willems at the Kennedy Center
Mo is at the Kennedy Center and you can share in the fun with the Kennedy Center's “I AM AN ARTMAKER” Mo Willems Collection!
Inspire through the arts
²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp may not be able to invite you to join us for our normal performances and education activities, but our arts and education programs are still alive!
Your gift today will allow us to use the arts to inspire others and give hope during this time of uncertainty, and prepare to welcome you back as we all look forward to the future, together.
About Mo
Author and Illustrator Mo Willems has been awarded the American Library Association’s Caldecott Honor three times for his picture book illustration. Additionally, he is the recipient of two Theodor Geisel Medals and five Geisel Honors for his Elephant & Piggie early readers. Mo began his career as a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards. His work has been exhibited around the world, including solo retrospectives at the High Museum in Atlanta and the New-York Historical Society. Over the last decade, Mo has written three musical theater works based on his books, two of which were commissioned and toured by the Kennedy Center. His papers reside at Yale University’s Beinecke Library.
The creator of The Pigeon series, Knuffle Bunny, and Elephant & Piggie, Mo will develop and present multidisciplinary programming and performances across the Kennedy Center including theater, jazz, dance, classical music, comedy, digital experience, and outreach over the next two years. Audiences will play, participate, and create with cross-genre experiences and world premieres seen nowhere else.
Highlights in Mo’s residency include the world premiere of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (The Musical); the world premiere orchestral rendition of Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs (a Symphonic Spectacular) with music composed by Kennedy Center Artistic Advisor Ben Folds for the National Symphony Orchestra; Mo Willems & the Storytime All-Stars present: Don’t Let the Pigeon Do Storytime!, a comedic celebration of reading; an interactive Jazz Doodle Jam! in partnership with Jazz Programming and Jason Moran; and more.
With a career spanning television, theater, books, and exhibits plus a ten-year association with the Kennedy Center, Mo is an exciting choice for this inaugural Artist-in-Residence. “I am thrilled by this opportunity,” says Mr. Willems. “I can’t wait to play and explore with the incredible talent available to the Kennedy Center while hopefully encouraging kids and the grown-ups in their lives to join in the fun.”
Video
Video
Upcoming Programs
National Symphony Orchestra NSO Family: Because (World Premiere)
SUN. APR. 25, 2021
Because sometimes it’s the smallest moments that have the biggest impact, New York Times best-selling author and Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence Mo Willems wrote a symphony of chance, discovery, and magic in this tale of a young girl’s journey to center stage. Because you and your loved ones wanted to see and hear this world premiere, you became part of the story. Arrive early for a Musical PLAYspace. Most enjoyed by age 5 and up.
Tour the Kennedy Center with Mo Willems' Pigeon - An Augmented Reality Experience
Tour the Kennedy Center with Mo Willems' Pigeon - An Augmented Reality Experience
Kennedy Center Education
Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;
Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; Wells Fargo; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..
The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.