A new photography exhibit offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of one of the most recognizable personalities in television history — Fred Rogers — and the photographer behind it is sharing her memories of the icon.

The Exhibit: "Mr. Rogers, Is Your Neighbor Worth Loving?"

The free-of-charge public exhibit, presented as part of the Photoville Festival (June 7-22) in New York City, gathers images from Fred McFeely Rogers' everyday life, taken by his personal photographer of many years, Lynn Johnson.

Johnson began photographing Rogers after he had already become a household name, when a chance assignment at a Pittsburgh newspaper brought the two together. Over the years, Johnson traveled with Rogers as he worked "in the field," traveling to meet those featured in his Heroes project, which highlighted individuals whose work with children made them among his own personal heroes.

A Glimpse into Rogers' Life

Working with Rogers, Johnson explains, "was like living in an alternative universe." She notes that "everyone was kind" and that Rogers "never judged. He received, without judgment, the people who saw him in the airport, in the grocery store, on the beach."

The man countless Americans remember from their television sets wasn't a character, Johnson adds. "I don't think there was a line between Mr. Rogers and Fred," she muses. "I would see him on the street corner in Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh, and he would be crossing the street like everyone else. There was something normal about him until you stopped to speak with him and then one could understand that he was operating in a universe where listening was the dominant energy."

The Importance of Listening

Johnson hopes visitors to the exhibit will be reminded of the importance of truly listening to one another. "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 says. "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."

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The free-of-charge exhibit Mr. Rogers, Is Your Neighbor Worth Loving? is presented as part of the Photoville Festival, taking place June 7-22 across New York City.