A DAY DEDICATED TO THE SPIRIT OF JIM HENSON

On the morning of Saturday, May 16, I woke up to this Facebook post from Kid President:

Kid President

Politician · 359,680 Likes

 · May 16 at 7:10am · 

On this date in 1990 Jim Henson died. I was 9 years old. When my mom told me - I cried. I never met him, but I cried. Thankful for the impact he made and the impact we can all make. The world is brighter because he was here. Same goes for you.

- Brad (the guy who makes all this Kid President stuff)

Turned out, it had been 25 years since puppeteer, film and television pioneer, and Muppet inventor Jim Henson passed away.

I paused a moment after reading the post, and decided that I would make this day about fun, kindness, and open-ended exploration and appreciation of colors, shapes, people, nature, art - everything around me.  I would dedicate the day to Jim.

  

First, my husband Mike and I took the subway out to Long Island City to visit our friends in an open studio weekend - LIC Arts Open 5 -  run out of a huge industrial space.  On the walk from the subway to the buildings, I asked Mike "What is your favorite kind of store to shop in?"  He replied: "Stores that sell donuts!."  Lo and behold, we rounded a corner, and saw The Doughnut Plant. Mike let out a shout of delight.

We went inside the industrial space that housed the art, and saw our friend Jessica Doh's paintings on silk.  

During the subway ride back to Brooklyn, we made some sketches, including this one:

After we returned to Brooklyn, we biked down to the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge Park.  Here's what I saw:

Young women dressed in fairy-tale gowns as they celebrated their Quinceaneras.

Bridesmaids wearing floaty, florescent orange dresses.

Cute dogs prancing down the path.

People of all ages running in and out of Jeppe Hein's fountain and mirror sculpture.

Later, I watched some videos that were taken of Jim Henson's funeral service, which was held in 1990 at The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.  I've continued to watch clips of The Muppet Show, as well as interviews with his colleagues and family members.

I'm so grateful that Jim Henson lived and spread his magic among us.  The world is a better place because of him.

For more information about Jim's work and how it is being carried forward, please check out the website of The Jim Henson Legacy.