(Untitled)

[skalja]

Sunday I went to the Museum of the Moving Image with tsukechick to check out the Jim Henson/Muppets exhibit, which was a little disorganized in some aspects but still fascinating and well worth New York admission prices. The multimedia aspects were handled very well, so that you could look at Henson's concept art and storyboards for a particular commercial

Comments

[mizzmarvel]

I think there may be some resentment toward Jane Henson, given that she got control of the company after Jim died, since their divorce was not yet final. I'm not saying that's fair -- I don't think it is at all -- but it might explain her omission in particular. The other collaborators, not so much.

I think people like to boil down things to one or two great Geniuses for simplicity's sake, and that really isn't fair. The Muppets clearly didn't emerge from Jim's head as a fully realized entity, and those who had a major hand in shaping them do deserve credit.

[skalja]

I wasn't aware of the behind-the-scenes politicking, but that ... makes far too much sense. Thanks for filling me in!

Urgh, the myth of the Lone Genius. It does happen, of course, but I'm betting not as often as collaborators not as mediagenic/well-connected/well-off/white/male/etc have gotten shoved to the side for the sake of the historical narrative. We're social animals; why shoudn't our genius be social as well?

[orion_mk3]

Did they mention that Henson was a native Mississippian?

[skalja]

In passing, I think!