By India McCarty
A new photography exhibition gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at beloved kids’ TV show MR. ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD.
“Fred McFeely Rogers was an inspiring presence on public television in Pittsburgh, PA, for over 30 years,” a description of the show, part of this year’s Photoville Festival, reads. “At the center of his message to children was this: you are valuable — each and every one of you — regardless of your age or height, your race or religion, your abilities or challenges.”
The description continues, “Fred’s messages were universal and timeless. We need them today more than ever. He believed that we are all related in love — a philosophy that lies at the heart of every faith.”
The photos, taken by Rogers’ personal photographer of many years, Lynn Johnson, show the TV figure at home and on set, giving fans a closer look at Rogers behind the scenes.
Johnson told PEOPLE that working with Rogers was “like living in an alternative universe. Everyone was kind.”
“Watching him actively listen to people, of every age, every gender, every ethnicity, race, religion…he never judged,” she continued. “He received, without judgment, the people who saw him in the airport, in the grocery store, on the beach.”
Related: How Mr. Rogers Encouraged Fans On and Off The Screen
In a 2020 interview with NPR, Johnson praised Rogers, saying, “The person you saw on set was what you saw off the set. I saw him stop in the middle of Los Angeles airport to get on his knees to talk to a child.”
“He helped teach me how to value others, how to work with people so that they don’t feel taken advantage of and how to work in that extremely delicate and fragile space that allows you to tell their story with integrity and causes no harm,” she continued. “It is about gratitude and love, and I think that’s the essence of who he was.”
Johnson shared that she hopes viewers take away the importance of listening to one another from the photography exhibition.
“Unless we know how to speak with each other, we cannot live in community, and that is the highest form of life that humans have,” she explained. “So if you feel like you have sadness or anger, that’s okay. But we can all make the choice to move through that — to listen and to reason and to appreciate others. We can all be Fred-like.”
Johnson’s photos of Rogers will be on display as part of New York’s Photoville Festival through June 22.
Read Next: Mr. Rogers Shares Biblical Message About Learning from Children!
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