Curatorialist

Sunny day. Sweeping the clouds away. On my way to where the air is sweet.

A nice sunny day today and the settling in of Summer. Something about it brought me back and I remembered Jim Henson. Sesame Street was created when I was 1, the same year my parents split up. I don’t know exactly what life was like for me back then, but it had to be a little rough.

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?

I saw them all. Every single one. It was escape, but in an accepted way. A special place where things got explained that nobody was explaining, humor was expected and, most importantly, kids were honored. On Sesame Street, the rules all apply, but innocence is guarded. A lot of us needed that back then, I guess.

Come and play. Everything’s A-OK. Friendly neighbors there, that’s where we meet.

So, today, when I ran across this homage video to Jim Henson, created a couple years after he died, it was a strange reflection of a reflection. It’s unusually macabre and, for an animated short, remarkably dark and emotional. But it holds up, as a piece of art.  It’s also well-executed and conceptual, as it captures a collective sadness in a way befitting the subject and the cultural phenomenon he created. The darkness of the film accentuates a very delicate and sensitive topic: loss of innocence. Those are some sad Kermits.

It’s a magic carpet ride. Every door will open wide. To happy people like you…

As I get older and my kids get on — and, you know, neither of them really embraced Sesame St., I’d like to think maybe they just don’t need it — one thing I had an instinct for, as a boy, has turned out to be true: protect innocence. It’s a glass vase that has to be guarded with heavy artillery. Kermit was that vase; the sensitive, breakable little do-gooder who just wanted to make the world happy. Sometimes it takes something dark to remember why we love the light. And as Summer sets in and our little muppets head outside to play, maybe it’s a reminder worth reflecting on.

Sunny day. Sweeping the clouds away. On my way to where the air is sweet.