“Won’t you be my neighbor?” asked Mister Rogers in the 31 seasons of the popular children’s show, which ran from 1968 to 2001.
Northern Virginians can bask in nostalgia at Mister Rodgers: Just the Way You Are, a free art exhibit currently on display through May 31, in Crystal City at the Crystal City Shops entrance to the PBS building.
The exhibit displays interactive mixed media portraits, incorporating 2D and 3D elements, created by Wayne Brezinka. It comes at a relevant time—the movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers, premieres later this year on Nov. 22.
“The interactive component to the work (the mirror specifically) was intended to stir each individual who might encounter the Mister Rogers portrait to think about how we see one another and how we are seen by others—with no malice or fear,” reads the artist’s statement on his website.
Items used to create the pieces in the exhibit include a handwritten note (dated 1994) from Rogers to longtime friend Amy Hollingsworth, an original pair of glasses worn by Rogers, two bow ties from Rogers’ collection, several childhood photos and a T.T.T. Tame Tiger Torganization membership pin, dating back to the mid-1950s.
Mister Rogers: Just The Way You Are is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. // PBS – The Shops Level: 2100 Crystal Drive, Arlington; Free
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