The University of Maryland doesn’t just have a statue of Jim Henson, it also has a collection of artifacts about one of its most famous graduates who also grew up in University Park and attended Northwestern High School in Hyattsville.

The Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library at 8270 Alumni Dr., on the first floor of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, has a free exhibit called “Inspired! Jim Henson at Maryland” on display through May 26.

“The exhibit provides a window into the profound impact Henson’s experiences on campus, both in the classroom and in his extra-curricular activities, had on his creative and professional development, laying the foundation for a remarkable career that included the creation of the Muppets and beyond,” the curators note.

In addition to featuring 25 pieces of original art by Henson, as well as photographs and a digital archive of his sketchbook, the exhibit also includes a series of video clips from Henson’s advertisements for Wilkins Coffee in the Washington area, which were recently highlighted in the Washington Post.

But it also shows another side of Henson, who had a side hustle making silk-screens for other students and completed mock magazine ads for school assignments, as the Post’s Answer Man columnist noted in a follow-up:

At Maryland he took courses in fashion illustration and advertising layout. The exhibit includes one of his class projects: a mock-up for something called “GLAM, for beautiful eyes.” Two comely female faces stare out from an ad that wouldn’t look out of place in Glamour magazine.

Next to that is another assignment: a sketch of a skeleton that manages to demonstrate both that Henson knew anatomy and that he possessed a sly sense of humor. At the top of the page, Henson helpfully jotted: “A skeleton — that’s bones with all the people scraped off.”

Henson was very protective of all of his work, and an attempt by the Wilkins Coffee owners to cash in on the puppets he created for them later led to an altercation, as his widow.

“In June 1992, an unusual complaint was filed with the New York City Police Department,” the Answer Man notes. “Jane Henson, widow of Muppet master Jim Henson, had allegedly thrown a punch while attending a trademark and licensing convention.”

Henson attended the University of Maryland from 1954-1960.