Thursday, August 4, 2011

Exhibit Alert: Pompeii and the Muppets

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I am so completely overwhelemed by all there is to do in NYC and these latest two exhibits have caught my eye:

Pompeii at Discover Times Square

and 

Jim Henson's Fantastic World at the Museum of the Moving Image 

These are so divergent in their subject matter so let me explain why they interest me:

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In elementary school I vividly remember learning about Pompeii for the first time. I originally had aspirations of becoming an archaeologist - that was the very first career I wanted, until I learned it was low-paying around 6th grade! The thought of a volcano erupting and a entire city being decimated that quickly terrified me. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio I had a fear of tornadoes too, and I think this natural disaster obsession spilled over into my interest in Pompeii. What I couldn't understand is why were these people living at the base of a live volcano? Was there no where else to live??? Anyway, I remember an archaeology book I used to have, and I would spend hours reading and re-reading the chapter on Pompeii. When I saw this exhibit mentioned I knew that I needed to see it to close the loop on this childhood fixation/fear. A bit of self-therapy perhaps?  

Now about those Muppets . . . yes, there's a new Muppet movie coming out (looks a bit weird and Kermit's voice is all wrong), but I grew up on The Muppet Show, and I expect that Nia will too. Mr. Love Bird and I already have her watching Old School Sesame Street and she is in love with it! I remember when Jim Henson passed away, and it made me extremely sad as though part of my childhood was lost. This exhibit seems like it is the perfect tribute for me to pay homage to Jim Henson's creativity and how I believe it impacted my childhood. It's running through January so I'm hoping I'll have a chance to visit. This weekend they're even doing a screening of The Dark Crystal (we'll be visiting my family in Columbus). In college Mr. Love Bird and I stayed in one night and watched it. It brought back so many memories and reminded us just how weird some of Mr. Henson's creations were!

Any exhibits in your cities that you'd like to see this summer?