Louis Henry Mitchell

Artist-in-Residence Louis Henry Mitchell will join guests aboard to encourage the creation of artistic works inspired by the wildlife, natural wonders and beauty of the region we’ll explore. He will give talks, sketching lessons and “live” drawings, providing inspiration that everyone can enjoy while aboard ship.

As Creative Director of Character Design, Louis directs and oversees most aspects of character art for Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind Sesame Street. From designing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons and floats to directing Muppet photo shoots, Louis has been at Sesame Workshop, full-time, since 1992. He designed the character Julia, the first Sesame Street autism character. He continues to be the exclusive Sesame Street new Muppet designer, along with his other duties as creative director of character design. Most recently, Mitchell designed the two new African American Muppets, Wesley and his Muppet father, Elijah, for Sesame Workshop’s Racial Justice initiative and Ji-Young for the “Coming Together” initiative against anti-Asian violence, and a host of other human nationality Muppets. Louis began his artistic career at 17 years old working for Neal Adams, one of the top comic book artists in the world. Mitchell illustrated children’s books, designed characters and toys as well as teaching and lecturing internationally. Mitchell is also an active member of the Board of Trustees at The Norman Rockwell Museum.