jim henson

Today, my friend Kelley picked me up and we ventured to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the exhibit we’ve been talking about for a couple of weeks now – Jim Henson’s Fantastic World.

The exhibit was truly impressive; I absolutely loved it. Articles on Jim Henson describe him as a visionary; an innovator in puppetry, a television pioneer. He captivated his audiences with process of visual-thinking, the metamorphosis of his characters from simple doodles to cartoons, to puppets, to film. The museum’s exhibit did a fantastic job at highlighting his unique artistic style and direction of work – there are 130 original artworks including sketches, photographs and storyboards. There’s even a “build your own Muppet” wall and an Etch-a-sketch area, where kids (and Kelley and I) could let their imaginations run wild and put their own ideas to work. There were many characters I recognized, and it was neat to see the original sketch or doodle that the character grew from. Jim Henson was a talented, imaginative story teller and his mastery has had a profound impact on both the art and television industries.

Watch the slideshow:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Ending note: I’ve always been extremely grateful for the relationships and friendships I made during my 4 years at Indiana University. Today reaffirmed that once again. Kelley is a great friend (and former roomie!) who I met during my (brief) sisterhood as a Delta Zeta at IU. After not seeing each other for over a year, it was great to catch up and fill the blanks of the timeline with stories and updates. Kelley is one of my favorite people, and seeing her today has made me mildly obsessed with her, once again There will definitely be more hanging out to come.