Tuesday, January 29, 2013

"Disintegration and Death:" Dragons in The Symbolic Imagination of Ancient Israel

While we think of dragons as creatures of folktales and children's stories, Israel's writers conjured them as images of the forces of disintegration and death that lurk in the background of our world and threaten its stability.
--Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation, Elaine Pagel 
Image: St. George Killing the Dragon, Vittore Carpaccio, 1507

Click on image to see much larger, more detailed version; I urge you to pay special attention to the wonderfully rendered bits of human remains littering the ground around the dragon. Image sourced here.

And special thanks to Amy Slonaker for introducing me to this wonderful book.

Monday, January 28, 2013

"Memento Mori Remember to Die," 1640, Woodcut, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington DC

"Memento Mori Remember to Die," 1640, woodcut, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington DC.

Text reads:
It is appointed for all men once to dye,
therefore think upon eternity.
And as I am so must you be,
therefore prepare to follow me.
 Line of verse added:
Man goeth to his long home, and ye manners go about the streets [?]
Full citation and ability to greatly enlarge image here.

Found here.

The Victorian Love Affair with Death! Morbid Anatomy Going Away Party! Death-Themed Screenings! "Resurrection" Themed Gala! Santa Muerte! Taxidermy! Insect Shadowboxes! The Cult of Beautiful Death! Morbid Anatomy Presents in February

This will be a very exciting February at Morbid Anatomy Presents. This Friday the 1st, we will be showing death-themed films in tandem with Imagine Science. In the weeks that follow, we have two insect shadowbox classes, including one special Valentine's Day edition (Feb. 2 and 10); two raccoon head taxidermy class with rogue taxidermist Katie Innamorato (Feb. 9 and 23) a resurrection-themed art show and fundraising costume extravaganza (Feb. 2); a workshop on research methods for artists and scholars with Rachel Herschman (February 3, 1:00 PM); a Santa Muerte book singing and party complete with mariachi band, funeral flowers, mini-exhibit and wedding cake (Feb. 3, 7:00 PM); a class on the art of Victorian hair jewelry (Feb. 5); Blake Schwarzenbach of the seminal punk band Jawbreaker waxing poetic on "death as muse" and playing a set (Feb. 7); An illustrated lecture on the Victorian love affair with death doubling as a Morbid Anatomy going away party with artisinal cocktails by Friese Undine (Feb. 8th); an illustrated lecture on the cult of beautiful death in Vienna (February 12) and a special Valentine's Day lecture and reading with Tattoo Scholars Anna Felicity Friedman and Matt Lodder (Feb. 14).

Full details follow on all events; hope very much to see you at one or more!

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"All My Tomorrows," Directed by Sonia Herman Dolz: Film Screening with Imagine Science Films
Screening with Imagine Science Films
Date: Friday, February 1
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy and Imagine Science Films

Tonight, join Imagine Science Films and Morbid Anatomy for an exclusive U.S. premiere screening of "All My Tomorrows" directed by Sonia Herman Dolz. Imagine Science Films aims to transform the way science and scientists are portrayed in mainstream media, while emphasizing the importance of storytelling, narrative structure, and visual communication.
About the film:

"One must never forget that one dies not from disease, but from life," wrote the philosopher Michel de Montaigne. Five centuries later, cancer surgeon Casper van Eijck arrives at the same conclusion: "You get cancer because you're alive." This film follows Van Eijck as he goes about his daily tasks at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. We also meet a cell biologist, a night nurse, a pediatric oncologist and a pathologist. Examining a culture of rapidly multiplying cancer cells, the biologist sighs, "That you can reveal so much, but know so little about what's going on." We owe progress in medical science exclusively to unremitting human curiosity and attentiveness; the fundamentals have changed little since Hippocrates. Then as now, doctors relied on human techniques of looking, feeling and cutting. We also see patients and parents of sick children respond bravely to the devastating news doctors so often have to give. Perhaps mice will provide the answer to the question of why cells divide uncontrollably, because this animal shares 80% of its genes with humans.

Imagine Science Films is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in existence since 2008 committed to promoting a high-level dialogue between scientists and filmmakers. ISF encourages a greater collaboration between scientists who dedicate their lives to studying the world we live in and filmmakers who have the power to interpret and expose this knowledge, ultimately making science accessible and stimulating to a broader audience.
Imagine Science Films is committed to drawing attention to the sciences, whether it is through art or our community outreach efforts.

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Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop with Former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton
With Daisy Tainton, Former Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History
Date: Sunday, February 2
Time: 1 - 4 PM
Admission: $65
***Must RSVP to morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to class list (please specify date)
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy


Today, join former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton for a special Valentine's Day-themed edition of Observatory's popular Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop. In this class, students will work with Rhinoceros beetles: nature's tiny giants. Each student will learn to make--and leave with their own!--shadowbox dioramas featuring carefully positioned beetles doing nearly anything you can imagine. Beetles and shadowboxes are provided, and an assortment of miniature furniture, foods, and other props will be available to decorate your habitat. Students need bring nothing, though are encouraged to bring along dollhouse props if they have a particular vision for their final piece; 1:12 scale work best.

Daisy Tainton was formerly Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History, and has been working with insects professionally for several years. Eventually her fascination with insects and  love of Japanese miniature food items naturally came together, resulting in cute and ridiculous museum-inspired yet utterly unrealistic dioramas. Beetles at the dentist? Beetles eating pie and knitting sweaters? Even beetles on the toilet? Why not?

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RESURRECTION 3rd Annual Observatory Fundraiser and Costume Party
Please come support us at our RESURRECTION-themed annual fundraiser costume party and group art show opening!
Date: Saturday, February 2nd
Time: 8pm
Admission: $20


Observatory has had quite a year, full of fires, floods, threats of floods, and much more besides. On Saturday, February 2nd, we cordially invite you to join us in celebrating our against-the-odds survival in the face of it all with our 4th anniversary back-from-the-dead-themed fundraiser. This party will also serve as the inauguration for our "Resurrection" group show, which will open to the public this evening.

The party will feature:
* Costume contest with Celebrity Judge Evan Michelson of TV's Oddities. Best "resurrection" costume wins!
* Screening of brand new episodes from  Ronni Thomas' Midnight Archive series
* Charm and handsomeship by MC Lord Whimsy
* Music by DJ Mangoose
* Kikkerland giveaways
* Glorious raffle prizes including a gift certificate from Palo Santo restaurant; books and CDs from green witch Robin Rose Bennett; Books and merch from Morbid Anatomy; Tarot readings by Shannon Taggart; Abraxas Esoteric Journal; Audiobooks from Hachette, and more!
* Artwork by Grace Baxter, Ben Blatt, Jesse Bransford, Ryan Matthew Cohn, Joanna Ebenstein, Barbara EnsorEthan Gould, Pam Grossman, Megan Hays, Katie Innamorato, Sue Jeiven, Amber Joliffe, Megan Murtha, Rebeca Olguin, Katy Pierce, Sigrid Sarda, Dana Sherwood, Mark Splatter, Daisy Tainton, & Shannon Taggart
* Lots of booze and treats!  YES!
Looking forward to seeing you there!

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Research Methods for Artists and Scholars: A Workshop with Rachel Herschman 
Date: Sunday, February 3
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Admission: $20
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

For curious exploration or focused research--this course will provide participants with strategies for investigating a topic and tricks for discovering the unexpected. From card catalogs to digital search tools, learn about a range of resources and how to use them with savvy. Find out how to gain borrowing privileges at university libraries and access to private collections.
We will also discuss how to critically evaluate both primary and secondary sources. A range of materials will be used to demonstrate how to get the most out of what you unearth in libraries and archives.

Participants are encouraged (but not required) to come with their own research topic.
Rachel Herschman is a PhD Candidate in Germanics at the University of Washington. She is currently writing her dissertation on the history of puppets and puppetry in 20th century Germany. Rachel is an educator at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and lives in New York.

Image: Old “Main Building” of the Public Library of Cincinnatti, 1874. The building seen below closed in 1955. Source

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 “Viva la Muerte: The Mushrooming Cult of Saint Death” : Lecture, Book Signing and Party
Illustrated lecture by Professor R. Andrew Chesnut, author of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint; Q and A moderated by The Revealer's David Metcalfe; Music and cocktails by Friese Undine; Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde wedding cake and Funeral floral arrangements compliments of Tonya Hurley and Tracy Hurley Martin; Mini-exhibit of newly-donated Santa Muerte materials from the Morbid Anatomy Library; Live music by Mariachi Tapatio de Alvaro Paulino
Date: Sunday, February 3
Time: 7:00 (Doors at 6:00)
Admission: $12
Produced by Morbid Anatomy and Borderline Projects
*** Copies of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint will be available for sale and signing

On Sunday, February 3rd, please join us to celebrate the Morbid Anatomy Library's new acquisition of a large and spectacular lot of materials relating to Santa Muerte, a Mexican-based “cult” or possibly even a “new religion” which takes as its central figure a sanctified Lady Death. Literally translating to “Holy Death” or “Saint Death,” the worship of Santa Muerte--like Day of the Dead--is a popular form of religious expression rooted in a rich syncretism of the beliefs of the native Latin Americans and the colonizing Spanish Catholics.

Tonight's celebration will begin with a highly-illustrated lecture on the roots, history and worship of Santa Muerte by Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut, Chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint. Following, attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions during a Q and A which with the lecturer and death in Mexico scholar Salvador Olguín moderated by David Metcalfe of The Revealer.
Come early (doors open at 6) and stay late to enjoy special artisanal cocktails utilizing the favorite spirits of "The Boney Lady" herself, compliments of Friese Undine. You can also admire--and indulge in!--a special Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde Wedding Cake with special topper by Heidi Holmes, compliments of our generous Santa Muerte artifact donors Tonya Hurley and Tracy Hurley Martin, and take in a temporary mini-exhibit of the amazing donations themselves. There will also be live mariachi music  by Mariachi Tapatio de Alvaro Paulino, gorgeous funeral floral arrangements, and Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut will be happy to sign copies of his new book Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint which will be available for sale.

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Class: The Victorian Art of Hair Jewelry with Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann
With Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann
Date: Tuesday, February 5
Time: 7-11 PM
Admission: $75
***Must RSVP to morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to class list; 15 person limit
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy

Hair jewelry was an enormously popular form of commemorative art that began in the late 17th century and reached its zenith during the Victorian Era. Hair, either of someone living or deceased, was encased in metal lockers or woven to enshrine the human relic of a loved one. This class will explore a modern take on the genre.
The technique of "palette working" or arranging hair in artful swoops and curls will be explored and a variety of ribbons, beads, wire and imagery of mourning iconography will be supplied for potential inclusion. A living or deceased person or pet may be commemorated in this manner.
Students are requested to bring with them to class their own hair, fur, or feathers; all other necessary materials will be supplied. Hair can be self-cut, sourced from barber shops or hair salons (who are usually happy to provide you with swept up hair), from beauty supply shops (hair is sold as extensions), or from wig suppliers. Students will leave class with their own piece of hair jewelry and the knowledge to create future projects.

Karen Bachmann is a fine jeweler with over 25 years experience, including several years on staff as a master jeweler at Tiffany & Co. She is a Professor in the Jewelry Design Dept at Fashion Institute of Technology as well as the School of Art & Design at Pratt Institute. She has recently completed her MA in Art History at SUNY Purchase with a thesis entitled Hairy Secrets:... In her downtime she enjoys collecting biological specimens, amateur taxidermy and punk rock.

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Death As Muse: An Intimate Evening With Blake Schwarzenbach, Musician, Painter, Jawbreaker, Forgetter
Date: Thursday, February 7
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy'

From Dante to Donnie Darko perhaps no other idea has inspired more creative pursuits than life’s final act: death. Love, it could be argued, is a close second—and if that’s the case, let us bow down yet again to Woody Allen’s film, Love and Death.

Which brings us to the man at the darkened heart of tonight’s event: Blake Schwarzenbach, who has sampled a line from one of Mr. Allen’s films in a song. Schwarzenbach, you see, also knows from love and death.

As the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the late, much-loved Bay Area punk trio Jawbreaker, Schwarzenbach once sang: “We met in rain, you asked me in, seemed like a good sign. Now I need a guillotine to get you off my mind.”

 With his newest group, Forgetters, he's gone darker.
How dark?

Here’s the cold data: Over 11 bloody tracks on the band’s eponymous–and somewhat psychedelic–new record, released in late 2012, there are roughly 27 lyrical variations on the word “death.” And there are multiple instances within just one song title: “O Deadly Death.”
That’s not to say Schwarzenbach doesn’t have a sense of humor. On an earlier Forgetters EP, after all, he cleverly made a verb out of tennis great John McEnroe (to throw a McEnroe is to have a very public fit.)

It is, in fact, the sui generis way Schwarzenbach balances light and dark, wit and warts, romance and rancor—both musically and lyrically—that makes his creative work so compelling. Or, as the writer Maccabee Montandon has put it: Schwarzenbach’s songs are “bounding, literate, often hyper-local anthems about pony-keg-powered house parties, girls he adored, girls he did not adore and books. Kerouac and cop killing live in a single lyrical line.”
On this evening, Schwarzenbach and Montandon will discuss the music, muses, and more: Schwarzenbach has grown increasingly interested in visual arts, painting and sculpting prolifically in his Brooklyn apartment; some of his pieces will be on display tonight. Following the conversation, Schwarzenbach will play solo acoustic versions of a few of his songs and take questions from the crowd. His own personal nine circles of hell revealed!

Image: "Impossible t-shirts" (a series). Blake Schwarzenbach. Pen, acrylic, graph paper. 2012.

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The Victorian Love Affair with Death and the Art of Mourning Hair Jewelry: Morbid Anatomy Going Away Party and Part Three of "Hairy Secrets" Series
Illustrated lecture with Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann and Morbid Anatomy Going Away Party, with Cocktails and Music by Friese Undine
Date: Friday, February 8 (Formerly January 31; Please note date change)
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $10
Presented by Morbid Anatomy
***Part 3 of a 3 part series "Hairy Secrets: Human Relic as Memory Object in Victorian Mourning Jewelry"


The Victorians had a love affair with death which they expressed in a variety of ways, both intensely sentimental and macabre. Tonight's lecture--the last in a 3-part series on human relics and Victorian mourning jewelry--will take as its focus the apex of the phenomenon of hair jewelry fashion in the Victorian Era as an expression of this passion. Nineteenth century mourning rituals will be discussed, with a particular focus on Victorian hairwork jewelry, both palette worked and table worked. Also discussed will be the historical roots of the Victorian fascination with death, such as high mortality rates for both adults and children, the rise of the park cemetery, and the death of Queen Victoria's beloved Prince Albert and her subsequent fashion-influencing 40-year mourning period. Historical samples of hair art and jewelry from the lecturer's personal collection will also be shown.

Karen Bachmann is a fine jeweler with over 25 years experience, including several years on staff as a master jeweler at Tiffany & Co. She is a Professor in the Jewelry Design Dept at Fashion Institute of Technology as well as the School of Art & Design at Pratt Institute. She has recently completed her MA in Art History at SUNY Purchase with a thesis entitled "Hairy Secrets; Human Relic as Memory Object in Victorian Mourning Jewelry". In her downtime she enjoys collecting biological specimens, amateur taxidermy and punk rock.

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Raccoon Head Taxidermy Class with Rogue Taxidermist Katie Innamorato
Date: Saturday, February 9
Time: 11 – 5 PM
Admission: $350
***SOLD OUT; Email morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to wait list
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy

This course will introduce students to basic and fundamental taxidermy techniques and procedures. Students will be working with donated raccoon skins and will be going through the steps to do a head mount. The class is only available to 5 students, allowing for more one on one interaction and assistance. Students will be working with tanned and lightly prepped skin; there will be no skinning of the animals in class. This is a great opportunity to learn the basic steps to small and large mammal taxidermy. All materials will be supplied by the instructor, and you will leave class with your own raccoon head mount.

Rogue taxidermist Katie Innamorato has a BFA in sculpture from SUNY New Paltz, has been featured on the hit TV show "Oddities," and has had her work featured at La Luz de Jesus gallery in Los Angeles, California. She is self and professionally taught, and has won multiple first place ribbons and awards at the Garden State Taxidermy Association Competition. Her work is focussed on displaying the cyclical connection between life and death and growth and decomposition. Katie is a member of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists, and with all M.A.R.T. members she adheres to strict ethical guidelines when acquiring specimens and uses roadkill, scrap, and donated skins to create mounts.
Her website and blogs-
www.afterlifeanatomy.com
www.afterlifeanatomy.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/afterlifeanatomy
www.etsy.com/shop/afterlifeanatomy


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Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop: Special Valentine's Day Edition, with Former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton
With Daisy Tainton, Former Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History
Date: Sunday, February 10 (Special Valentine's Day Edition!)
Time: 1 - 4 PM
Admission: $65
***Must RSVP to morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to class list
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy


Today, join former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton for a special Valentine's Day-themed edition of Observatory's popular Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop. In this class, students will work with Rhinoceros beetles: nature's tiny giants. Each student will learn to make--and leave with their own!--shadowbox dioramas featuring carefully positioned beetles doing nearly anything you can imagine. Beetles and shadowboxes are provided, and an assortment of miniature furniture, foods, and other props will be available to decorate your habitat. Students need bring nothing, though are encouraged to bring along dollhouse props if they have a particular vision for their final piece; 1:12 scale work best.

Daisy Tainton was formerly Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History, and has been working with insects professionally for several years. Eventually her fascination with insects and  love of Japanese miniature food items naturally came together, resulting in cute and ridiculous museum-inspired yet utterly unrealistic dioramas. Beetles at the dentist? Beetles eating pie and knitting sweaters? Even beetles on the toilet? Why not?

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"Schöne Leiche," or "The Beautiful Corpse": The Cult of Beautiful Death in Vienna
Illustrated lecture by Mark 'Splatter' Batelli; thematic drinks and music by Friese Undine
Date: Tuesday, February 12
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $8
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Tonight's highly illustrated lecture will explore the special Viennese relationship to death as exemplified by their notion of Schöne Leiche, or the "Beautiful Corpse." Batelli will trace the history of this distinctive approach to mortality and discuss funerary customs, mourning culture, black humor, idiom, art, music, suicide and psychology, providing examples and exploring its origins and development in the former imperial capital. Before and after the lecture, enjoy special thematic "Death in Vienna" artisinal cocktails and music complements of artist Friese Undine.

Mark 'Splatter' Batelli is an artist based in Brooklyn, New York. He lived 5 years In Berlin and traveled extensively travels through Europe, spending much time in Vienna.


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Tragic Tattoo Tales: A Valentine’s Day Lecture and Reading with Tattoo Scholars Anna Felicity Friedman and Matt Lodder
Illustrated lecture and reading with tattoo scholars Anna Felicity Friedman and Matt Lodder
Date: Thursday, February 14 (Yes, Valentine's Day!)
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Love, loss… and disfigurement, murder, and flayed skin (with a bit of cannibalism and sadism thrown in for good measure). What better way to spend your Valentine’s Day evening than to join us for a glass of red wine, a bite of delicious chocolate, and a lecture on the history of tattooing combined with a reading of a series of historical tattoo-centered short stories by authors such as Roald Dahl (1958), Saki (1911), Junichiro Tanazaki (1910) and John Rickman (1781)?

Tonight, please join us for an evening with tattoo scholars Anna Felicity Friedman and Matt Lodder (both heavily tattooed themselves) who will lecture about and read tales that interweave tattoo history with romance and the macabre. Through illustrated slide lectures, Drs. Friedman and Lodder will present comparative historical material to provide context and deeper understanding and to separate fact from fiction. Learn about wide ranging tattoo topics in both Western and non-Western cultures and have questions answered that the stories raise. Did people really preserve tattooed skin? What were people reading about tattoos in the early twentieth century? Were Maori really tattooed head to foot? What were the connections between Ukiyo-e and Japanese tattooing in the Edo period?
And the stories… Come hear the account of a young Maori woman and an English sailor who had himself completely tattooed to gain her favor, only to be forcibly returned to his ship (in John Rickman’s 1781 travel narrative from Captain James Cook’s third voyage). Cringe at the tale of a businessman tattooed in Italy with an elaborate scene, but who was prohibited from ever showing it to anyone, swimming, or leaving the country (in Saki’s 1911 “The Background”). Shudder at the story of a Japanese woman lured into a tattooer’s studio, drugged, and forcibly tattooed (in Junichiro Tanazaki’s 1910 “Shisei (The Tattooer)”. Enjoy the fantasy of a young and not-yet famous Chaim Soutine who, during a bacchanalian evening, rendered a dorsal portrait of a tattoo artist’s wife that later mysteriously turns up as a “canvas” in an art gallery (in Roald Dahl’s 1952 “Skin”). Additional images related to the stories will be screened during the readings.
Chocolate and red wine will make things festive.

Anna Felicity Friedman has been researching the history of tattooing for over 20 years. Her recently completed PhD, from the University of Chicago, focuses on tattooed transculturites—Europeans and Americans who acquired non-Western tattoos as part of a process of cultural identity transformation. Her photoblog, Tattoo History Daily, offers glimpses into myriad aspects of tattoo history. An interdisciplinary scholar, she has taught, written, and lectured about body art, maps, rare books, and other sundry topics, works as a freelance curator, and currently teaches hybrid literature/film/art courses at the University of Chicago.

Matt Lodder is a London-based art historian. His work is primarily concerned with the history of Western tattooing and the artistic status of body art and body modification practices including tattooing, body piercing and cosmetic surgery. He writes regularly for Total Tattoo magazine, gives public lectures on tattoo history and related topics, works as a freelance writer and broadcaster for both radio and television, and teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in contemporary art and theory at the University of Reading and the University of Birmingham. He is currently writing a book called 'Tattoo: An Art History' for IB Tauris, due for publication in 2014.

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Raccoon Head Taxidermy Class with Rogue Taxidermist Katie Innamorato
Date: Saturday, February 23
Time: 11 – 5 PM
Admission: $350
***SOLD OUT; Email morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to wait list
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy

This course will introduce students to basic and fundamental taxidermy techniques and procedures. Students will be working with donated raccoon skins and will be going through the steps to do a head mount. The class is only available to 5 students, allowing for more one on one interaction and assistance. Students will be working with tanned and lightly prepped skin; there will be no skinning of the animals in class. This is a great opportunity to learn the basic steps to small and large mammal taxidermy. All materials will be supplied by the instructor, and you will leave class with your own raccoon head mount.

Rogue taxidermist Katie Innamorato has a BFA in sculpture from SUNY New Paltz, has been featured on the hit TV show "Oddities," and has had her work featured at La Luz de Jesus gallery in Los Angeles, California. She is self and professionally taught, and has won multiple first place ribbons and awards at the Garden State Taxidermy Association Competition. Her work is focussed on displaying the cyclical connection between life and death and growth and decomposition. Katie is a member of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists, and with all M.A.R.T. members she adheres to strict ethical guidelines when acquiring specimens and uses roadkill, scrap, and donated skins to create mounts.
Her website and blogs-
www.afterlifeanatomy.com
www.afterlifeanatomy.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/afterlifeanatomy
www.etsy.com/shop/afterlifeanatomy

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You can find out more about all of these events here, or sign up for them on Facebook by clicking here.

Image: Victorian Mourners; found here.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Congdon's Anatomical Museum, Bangkok, Photo Essay on Atlas Obscura

Friend and colleague Michelle Enemark just published a wonderful photo essay about her recent visit to Congdon's Anatomical Museum in Bangkok on the Atlas Obscura website. You can read her article--and see loades more images!--by clicking here; all images above are drawn from that piece. 

Friday, January 25, 2013

Morbid Anatomy Library Now Hosting Regular, No-Appointment-Necessary Open Hours: Every Saturday from 2-6 PM!


Beginning tomorrow--Saturday, January 26th--the Morbid Anatomy Library (pictured above) will be open to the public, with no appointment necessary, on Saturdays from 2:00 - to 6:00 PM. So come on by for a perusal of the stacks and a gander at our human skeleton, tatty taxidermy, ex votos, magic lantern slides, post mortem photographs, wax embryological models, and unclassifiable curiosities!

For more about the Morbid Anatomy Library and for directions and other such information, click here.

Photos of The Library by Joanna Ebenstein.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Must-See Exhibition of Astounding Anatomical Artworks: "Doctors, Dissection and Resurrection Men," Exhibition, Museum of London, Through April 2013




Whilst over in London recently, I spent a fascinating afternoon with curator Jelena Bekvalac as she guided me through her exhibition "Doctors, Dissection and Resurrection Men" now on view at the Museum of London. The exhibition is not, I am delighted to report, your average history of medicine fare; it functions more as a must-see exhibition of astounding, idiosyncratic, and beautifully macabre anatomical artworks languishing backstage at London Museums than a straightforward history of human dissection in London. And this is, of course, in my opinion, a good thing!

One of Bekvalac's characteristically brilliant curatorial choices was the inclusion of one of my all-time favorite anatomical artworks, a piece which perfectly illuminates the confounding interweaving of the spectacular, the educational, and the macabre which draws me to many early medical artifacts: the Royal Academy's "Anatomical Crucifixion of James Legg" (top three images). This piece is a plaster life-size écorché--or skinless muscle man figure, a common art trope stretching back to The Renaissance. But this écorché is no mere artistic depiction; instead, it is an actual plaster cast taken directly from the the body of executed murderer James Legg after it was flayed and crucified (!!!) by three members of the Royal Academy around 1801 "... in order to settle an artistic debate...  to prove their belief that most depictions of the Crucifixion were anatomically incorrect." You can find out more about this astounding artifact at this recent blog post.

Other highlights of the exhibition include a fabulous early 19th century Florentine wax anatomical woman on loan from The Science Museum/Wellcome Collection (4th down; more on that piece here); some wonderful Joseph Towne waxes and moulages from The Gordon Museum (8th and 9th down); some of my all-time favorite memento mori figurines, also from The Science Museum/Wellcome Collection (5th down); a handbill advertising the display of an Anatomical Venus on Regent Street in the early 19th century (9th down); an artful preparation of part of a human stomach injected to demonstrate the blood vessels by Edward Jenner (6th down); a salacious late 18th century watercolor entitled 'The Persevering Surgeon' by Thomas Rowlandson (10th down); an original anatomical drawing of a human skeleton for a anatomy student's ticket from 1840 (11th down); a mid-19th century skeletal preparation of a boy, dissected in a somewhat anguished pose (on loan from the St. Bart's Pathology Museum); and a number of anatomical artworks by Jacques Fabien Gautier D'Agoty and other artists of the time.

For any Morbid Anatomy readers in the London area, I highly recommend a visit to this exhibition; thanks to Bekvalac's eye and excellent knowledge of rarely seen and idiosyncratically spectacular pieces backstage in local collections, it is much more interesting than you might expect by the title!

More about the exhibition, from the press release:
Doctors, Dissection and Resurrection Men
Until 14 April 2013

In 2006, Museum of London archaeologists excavated a burial ground at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. What they found was both extraordinary and unexpected.

The excavation revealed some 262 burials. In the confusing mix of bones was extensive evidence of dissection, autopsy and amputation, bones wired for teaching, and animals dissected for comparative anatomy.

Dating from a key period – that of the Anatomy Act of 1832 – the discovery is one of the most significant in the UK, offering fresh insight into early 19th century dissection and the trade in dead bodies.

Now, 180 years later, you can uncover this intriguing story in Doctors, Dissection and Resurrection Men, a major new exhibition at the Museum of London. Bringing together human and animal remains, exquisite anatomical models and drawings, documents and original artefacts, the exhibition reveals the intimate relationship between surgeons pushing forward anatomical study and the ‘Resurrection men’ who supplied them; and the shadowy practices prompted by a growing demand for corpses.

You’ll discover the story of Bishop, Williams and May – London’s Burke and Hare – and find out how the excavation findings shed new light on the case of an alleged resurrectionist. You’ll also pore over unrivalled evidence of surgery and amputation – before anaesthetic – and of dissection, anatomical teaching and students practising their craft.  

As the exhibition draws to a close, you’ll be encouraged to debate the Anatomy Act, reflect on medical ethics and cultural attitudes today, and ask what questions still remain.

It may leave you asking: who really owns your body?
This exhibit will be on view through April 14th, 2013; You can find out more here. Please click on images to see larger versions; most are my own; 6th and 11th down are both © Science Museum / Science and Society Picture Library; the 10th down is from the collection of the Hunterian Museum, London.

Images top to bottom:
  1. "Anatomical Crucifixion of James Legg," 1801, Royal Academy
  2. "Anatomical Crucifixion of James Legg," 1801, Royal Academy, detail
  3. "Anatomical Crucifixion of James Legg," 1801, Royal Academy, detail
  4.  Female wax anatomical model showing internal organs 1818, The Science Museum
  5. Memento Mori Figures, The Science Museum
  6. Part of human stomach dissected by Edward Jenner 1790-1823 C Science Museum, Science Museum, Science and Society Picture Library.jpg
  7. Wax moulage by Joseph Towne showing hand with smallpox, 19th century, The Gordon Museum
  8. Wax model of human torso by Joseph Towne, 19th century, The Gordon Museum
  9. Handbill advertising display of anatomical Venus, 1810-1840 
  10. Thomas Rowlandson, 'The Persevering Surgeon', late 18th century, from the collection of the Hunterian Museum, London
  11. Anatomical drawing of a skeleton 1840 C Science Museum, Science and Society Picture Library

Monday, January 21, 2013

Apocalyptic Anime! Memento Mori! Death-Themed Screenings! Annual Fundraiser! Research Methods for Artists! Santa Muerte! The Cult of Beautiful Death in Vienna! Morbid Anatomy Presents this Month and Beyond

Morbid Anatomy Presents has a few things cooked up to amuse you these cold winter nights. This evening, we will be hosting JR Pepper who will be speaking on the Apocalypse in Japanese anime; Thursday Jan. 24, Karen Bachmann will elucidate us on the history of memento mori and death's head imagery as it relates to Victorian hair art jewelry, while on Friday Feb. 1, we will be screening death-themed films in tandem with Imagine Science. In the weeks that follow, we have two insect shadowbox classes, including one special Valentine's Day edition (Feb. 2 and 10);  a raccoon head taxidermy class with rogue taxidermist Katie Innamorato (Feb. 9) a resurrection-themed art opening and fundraising party (Feb. 2); a workshop on research methods for artists and scholars with Rachel Herschman (February 3, 1:00 PM); a Santa Muerte book singing and party complete with mariachi band, funeral flowers, mini-exhibit and wedding cake (Feb. 3, 7:00 PM); a newly introduced class on the art of Victorian hair jewelry (Feb. 5); Blake Schwarzenbach of the seminal punk band Jawbreaker on "death as muse" (Feb. 7); An illustrated lecture on the Victorian love affair with death doubling as a Morbid Anatomy going away party with artisinal cocktails by Friese Undine (Feb. 8th); an illustrated lecture on the cult of beautiful death in Vienna (February 12) and a valentine's day lecture and reading with Tattoo Scholars Anna Felicity Friedman and Matt Lodder (Feb. 14).

Full details follow on all events; hope very much to see you at one or more!

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Bright Eyes at the Apocalypse: Exploring The End of the World in Japanese Animation
Illustrated lecture with JR Pepper
Date: Monday, January 21
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Having been confronted with extreme devastation during WWII, the Japanese have not been shy about illustrating the end of the world and post-apocalyptic landscape in their films. This can perhaps be most notably seen in their animation. Brilliant feats of Japanese animation like, Akira, Princess Mononoke, X/1999, and Neon Genesis Evangelion have painstakingly detailed worlds devastated by war, disease, technology and the fall of civilization. Why has the world of Japanese anime embraced such a macabre event? This lecture will examine the phenomenon of the post-apocalyptic Earth in anime as well as explore the current trends.

JR Pepper is a photographer, archivist and full-time geek.  Her photography had been shown at events throughout New York and Paris and a myriad of publications and websites. Presently she is devoting her time to photographing New York's nightlife as well as a continuing documentation of the eccentricities of Tulsa, Oklahoma, her adopted home. Her geek writing can be found on Pink Ray Gun.com and she has given panels  at New York Comic Con, New York Anime Fest, Salon Con, Big Apple Anime Fest and Tokyo in Tulsa.

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The History of the Memento Mori and Death's Head Iconography: Part Two of "Hairy Secrets" Series
Illustrated lecture with Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann
Date: Thursday, January 24
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $10
Presented by Morbid Anatomy
***Part 2 of a 3 part series "Hairy Secrets: Human Relic as Memory Object in Victorian Mourning Jewelry"

In tonight's lecture--the second in a 3-part series on human relics and Victorian mourning jewelry--master jeweler and art historian Karen Bachmann will explore the development of the memento mori, objects whose very raison d'être is to remind the beholder that they, too, will die. Bachman will trace the symbolism and iconography of the memento mori and death's head imagery in both Medieval and Renaissance art, focusing on jewelry. She will also discuss the development of the "portable relic" -- a wearable form of body part reliquary, will be the focus of this lecture. The importance of hair in contemporaneous art of the period will be addressed, as well as the development of bereavement jewelry with hair.

Karen Bachmann is a fine jeweler with over 25 years experience, including several years on staff as a master jeweler at Tiffany & Co. She is a Professor in the Jewelry Design Dept at Fashion Institute of Technology as well as the School of Art & Design at Pratt Institute. She has recently completed her MA in Art History at SUNY Purchase with a thesis entitled "Hairy Secrets; Human Relic as Memory Object in Victorian Mourning Jewelry". In her downtime she enjoys collecting biological specimens, amateur taxidermy and punk rock.

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"All My Tomorrows," Directed by Sonia Herman Dolz: Film Screening with Imagine Science Films
Screening with Imagine Science Films
Date: Friday, February 1
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy and Imagine Science Films

Tonight, join Imagine Science Films and Morbid Anatomy for an exclusive U.S. premiere screening of "All My Tomorrows" directed by Sonia Herman Dolz. Imagine Science Films aims to transform the way science and scientists are portrayed in mainstream media, while emphasizing the importance of storytelling, narrative structure, and visual communication.
About the film:

"One must never forget that one dies not from disease, but from life," wrote the philosopher Michel de Montaigne. Five centuries later, cancer surgeon Casper van Eijck arrives at the same conclusion: "You get cancer because you're alive." This film follows Van Eijck as he goes about his daily tasks at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. We also meet a cell biologist, a night nurse, a pediatric oncologist and a pathologist. Examining a culture of rapidly multiplying cancer cells, the biologist sighs, "That you can reveal so much, but know so little about what's going on." We owe progress in medical science exclusively to unremitting human curiosity and attentiveness; the fundamentals have changed little since Hippocrates. Then as now, doctors relied on human techniques of looking, feeling and cutting. We also see patients and parents of sick children respond bravely to the devastating news doctors so often have to give. Perhaps mice will provide the answer to the question of why cells divide uncontrollably, because this animal shares 80% of its genes with humans.

Imagine Science Films is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in existence since 2008 committed to promoting a high-level dialogue between scientists and filmmakers. ISF encourages a greater collaboration between scientists who dedicate their lives to studying the world we live in and filmmakers who have the power to interpret and expose this knowledge, ultimately making science accessible and stimulating to a broader audience.
Imagine Science Films is committed to drawing attention to the sciences, whether it is through art or our community outreach efforts.

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Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop with Former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton
With Daisy Tainton, Former Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History
Date: Sunday, February 2
Time: 1 - 4 PM
Admission: $65
***Must RSVP to morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to class list (please specify date)
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy


Today, join former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton for a special Valentine's Day-themed edition of Observatory's popular Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop. In this class, students will work with Rhinoceros beetles: nature's tiny giants. Each student will learn to make--and leave with their own!--shadowbox dioramas featuring carefully positioned beetles doing nearly anything you can imagine. Beetles and shadowboxes are provided, and an assortment of miniature furniture, foods, and other props will be available to decorate your habitat. Students need bring nothing, though are encouraged to bring along dollhouse props if they have a particular vision for their final piece; 1:12 scale work best.

Daisy Tainton was formerly Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History, and has been working with insects professionally for several years. Eventually her fascination with insects and  love of Japanese miniature food items naturally came together, resulting in cute and ridiculous museum-inspired yet utterly unrealistic dioramas. Beetles at the dentist? Beetles eating pie and knitting sweaters? Even beetles on the toilet? Why not?

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RESURRECTION 3rd Annual Observatory Fundraiser and Costume Party
Please come support us at our RESURRECTION-themed annual fundraiser costume party and group art show opening!
Date: Saturday, February 2nd
Time: 8pm
Admission: $20


Observatory has had quite a year, full of fires, floods, threats of floods, and much more besides. On Saturday, February 2nd, we cordially invite you to join us in celebrating our against-the-odds survival in the face of it all with our 4th anniversary back-from-the-dead-themed fundraiser. This party will also serve as the inauguration for our "Resurrection" group show, which will open to the public this evening.

The party will feature:
* Costume contest with Celebrity Judge Evan Michelson of TV's Oddities. Best "resurrection" costume wins!
* Screening of brand new episodes from  Ronni Thomas' Midnight Archive series
* Charm & handsomeship by MC Lord Whimsy
* Music by DJ Mangoose
* Kikkerland giveaways
* Glorious raffle prizes including a gift certificate from Palo Santo restaurant; books and CDs from green witch Robin Rose Bennett; Books and merch from Morbid Anatomy; Tarot readings by Shannon Taggart; Abraxas Esoteric Journal; Audiobooks from Hachette, and more!
* Artwork by Grace Baxter, Ben Blatt, Jesse Bransford, Ryan Matthew Cohn, Joanna Ebenstein, Barbara EnsorEthan Gould, Pam Grossman, Megan Hays, Katie Innamorato, Sue Jeiven, Megan Murtha, Rebeca Olguin, Katy Pierce, Sigrid Sarda, Dana Sherwood, Mark Splatter, Daisy Tainton, & Shannon Taggart
* Lots of booze & treats!  YES!
Looking forward to seeing you there!

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Research Methods for Artists and Scholars: A Workshop with Rachel Herschman 
Date: Sunday, February 3
Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Admission: $20
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

For curious exploration or focused research--this course will provide participants with strategies for investigating a topic and tricks for discovering the unexpected. From card catalogs to digital search tools, learn about a range of resources and how to use them with savvy. Find out how to gain borrowing privileges at university libraries and access to private collections.
We will also discuss how to critically evaluate both primary and secondary sources. A range of materials will be used to demonstrate how to get the most out of what you unearth in libraries and archives.

Participants are encouraged (but not required) to come with their own research topic.
Rachel Herschman is a PhD Candidate in Germanics at the University of Washington. She is currently writing her dissertation on the history of puppets and puppetry in 20th century Germany. Rachel is an educator at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and lives in New York.

Image: Old “Main Building” of the Public Library of Cincinnatti, 1874. The building seen below closed in 1955. Source

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 “Viva la Muerte: The Mushrooming Cult of Saint Death” : Lecture, Book Signing and Party
Illustrated lecture by Professor R. Andrew Chesnut, author of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint; Q and A moderated by The Revealer's David Metcalfe; Music and cocktails by Friese Undine; Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde wedding cake and Funeral floral arrangements compliments of Tonya Hurley and Tracy Hurley Martin; Mini-exhibit of newly-donated Santa Muerte materials from the Morbid Anatomy Library; Live music by Mariachi Tapatio de Alvaro Paulino
Date: Sunday, February 3
Time: 7:00 (Doors at 6:00)
Admission: $12
Produced by Morbid Anatomy and Borderline Projects
*** Copies of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint will be available for sale and signing

On Sunday, February 3rd, please join us to celebrate the Morbid Anatomy Library's new acquisition of a large and spectacular lot of materials relating to Santa Muerte, a Mexican-based “cult” or possibly even a “new religion” which takes as its central figure a sanctified Lady Death. Literally translating to “Holy Death” or “Saint Death,” the worship of Santa Muerte--like Day of the Dead--is a popular form of religious expression rooted in a rich syncretism of the beliefs of the native Latin Americans and the colonizing Spanish Catholics.

Tonight's celebration will begin with a highly-illustrated lecture on the roots, history and worship of Santa Muerte by Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut, Chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint. Following, attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions during a Q and A which with the lecturer and death in Mexico scholar Salvador Olguín moderated by David Metcalfe of The Revealer.
Come early (doors open at 6) and stay late to enjoy special artisanal cocktails utilizing the favorite spirits of "The Boney Lady" herself, compliments of Friese Undine. You can also admire--and indulge in!--a special Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde Wedding Cake compliments of our generous Santa Muerte artifact donors Tonya Hurley and Tracy Hurley Martin, and take in a temporary mini-exhibit of the amazing donations themselves. There will also be live mariachi music  by Mariachi Tapatio de Alvaro Paulino, gorgeous funeral floral arrangements by Emily Thompson Flowers, and Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut will be happy to sign copies of his new book Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint which will be available for sale.

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Class: The Victorian Art of Hair Jewelry with Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann
With Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann
Date: Tuesday, February 5
Time: 7-11 PM
Admission: $75
***Must RSVP to morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to class list; 15 person limit
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy

Hair jewelry was an enormously popular form of commemorative art that began in the late 17th century and reached its zenith during the Victorian Era. Hair, either of someone living or deceased, was encased in metal lockers or woven to enshrine the human relic of a loved one. This class will explore a modern take on the genre.
The technique of "palette working" or arranging hair in artful swoops and curls will be explored and a variety of ribbons, beads, wire and imagery of mourning iconography will be supplied for potential inclusion. A living or deceased person or pet may be commemorated in this manner.
Students are requested to bring with them to class their own hair, fur, or feathers; all other necessary materials will be supplied. Hair can be self-cut, sourced from barber shops or hair salons (who are usually happy to provide you with swept up hair), from beauty supply shops (hair is sold as extensions), or from wig suppliers. Students will leave class with their own piece of hair jewelry and the knowledge to create future projects.

Karen Bachmann is a fine jeweler with over 25 years experience, including several years on staff as a master jeweler at Tiffany & Co. She is a Professor in the Jewelry Design Dept at Fashion Institute of Technology as well as the School of Art & Design at Pratt Institute. She has recently completed her MA in Art History at SUNY Purchase with a thesis entitled Hairy Secrets:... In her downtime she enjoys collecting biological specimens, amateur taxidermy and punk rock.

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Death As Muse: An Intimate Evening With Blake Schwarzenbach, Musician, Painter, Jawbreaker, Forgetter
Date: Thursday, February 7
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy'

From Dante to Donnie Darko perhaps no other idea has inspired more creative pursuits than life’s final act: death. Love, it could be argued, is a close second—and if that’s the case, let us bow down yet again to Woody Allen’s film, Love and Death.

Which brings us to the man at the darkened heart of tonight’s event: Blake Schwarzenbach, who has sampled a line from one of Mr. Allen’s films in a song. Schwarzenbach, you see, also knows from love and death.

As the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the late, much-loved Bay Area punk trio Jawbreaker, Schwarzenbach once sang: “We met in rain, you asked me in, seemed like a good sign. Now I need a guillotine to get you off my mind.”

 With his newest group, Forgetters, he's gone darker.
How dark?

Here’s the cold data: Over 11 bloody tracks on the band’s eponymous–and somewhat psychedelic–new record, released in late 2012, there are roughly 27 lyrical variations on the word “death.” And there are multiple instances within just one song title: “O Deadly Death.”
That’s not to say Schwarzenbach doesn’t have a sense of humor. On an earlier Forgetters EP, after all, he cleverly made a verb out of tennis great John McEnroe (to throw a McEnroe is to have a very public fit.)

It is, in fact, the sui generis way Schwarzenbach balances light and dark, wit and warts, romance and rancor—both musically and lyrically—that makes his creative work so compelling. Or, as the writer Maccabee Montandon has put it: Schwarzenbach’s songs are “bounding, literate, often hyper-local anthems about pony-keg-powered house parties, girls he adored, girls he did not adore and books. Kerouac and cop killing live in a single lyrical line.”
On this evening, Schwarzenbach and Montandon will discuss the music, muses, and more: Schwarzenbach has grown increasingly interested in visual arts, painting and sculpting prolifically in his Brooklyn apartment; some of his pieces will be on display tonight. Following the conversation, Schwarzenbach will play solo acoustic versions of a few of his songs and take questions from the crowd. His own personal nine circles of hell revealed!

Image: "Impossible t-shirts" (a series). Blake Schwarzenbach. Pen, acrylic, graph paper. 2012.

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The Victorian Love Affair with Death and the Art of Mourning Hair Jewelry: Morbid Anatomy Going Away Party and Part Three of "Hairy Secrets" Series
Illustrated lecture with Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann and Morbid Anatomy Going Away Party, with Cocktails and Music by Friese Undine
Date: Friday, February 8 (Formerly January 31; Please note date change)
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $10
Presented by Morbid Anatomy
***Part 3 of a 3 part series "Hairy Secrets: Human Relic as Memory Object in Victorian Mourning Jewelry"


The Victorians had a love affair with death which they expressed in a variety of ways, both intensely sentimental and macabre. Tonight's lecture--the last in a 3-part series on human relics and Victorian mourning jewelry--will take as its focus the apex of the phenomenon of hair jewelry fashion in the Victorian Era as an expression of this passion. Nineteenth century mourning rituals will be discussed, with a particular focus on Victorian hairwork jewelry, both palette worked and table worked. Also discussed will be the historical roots of the Victorian fascination with death, such as high mortality rates for both adults and children, the rise of the park cemetery, and the death of Queen Victoria's beloved Prince Albert and her subsequent fashion-influencing 40-year mourning period. Historical samples of hair art and jewelry from the lecturer's personal collection will also be shown.

Karen Bachmann is a fine jeweler with over 25 years experience, including several years on staff as a master jeweler at Tiffany & Co. She is a Professor in the Jewelry Design Dept at Fashion Institute of Technology as well as the School of Art & Design at Pratt Institute. She has recently completed her MA in Art History at SUNY Purchase with a thesis entitled "Hairy Secrets; Human Relic as Memory Object in Victorian Mourning Jewelry". In her downtime she enjoys collecting biological specimens, amateur taxidermy and punk rock.

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Raccoon Head Taxidermy Class with Rogue Taxidermist Katie InnamoratoDate: Saturday, February 9
Time: 11 – 5 PM
Admission: $350
***SOLD OUT; Email morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to wait list
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy

This course will introduce students to basic and fundamental taxidermy techniques and procedures. Students will be working with donated raccoon skins and will be going through the steps to do a head mount. The class is only available to 5 students, allowing for more one on one interaction and assistance. Students will be working with tanned and lightly prepped skin; there will be no skinning of the animals in class. This is a great opportunity to learn the basic steps to small and large mammal taxidermy. All materials will be supplied by the instructor, and you will leave class with your own raccoon head mount.

Rogue taxidermist Katie Innamorato has a BFA in sculpture from SUNY New Paltz, has been featured on the hit TV show "Oddities," and has had her work featured at La Luz de Jesus gallery in Los Angeles, California. She is self and professionally taught, and has won multiple first place ribbons and awards at the Garden State Taxidermy Association Competition. Her work is focussed on displaying the cyclical connection between life and death and growth and decomposition. Katie is a member of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists, and with all M.A.R.T. members she adheres to strict ethical guidelines when acquiring specimens and uses roadkill, scrap, and donated skins to create mounts.
Her website and blogs-
www.afterlifeanatomy.com
www.afterlifeanatomy.tumblr.com
www.facebook.com/afterlifeanatomy
www.etsy.com/shop/afterlifeanatomy


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Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop: Special Valentine's Day Edition, with Former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton
With Daisy Tainton, Former Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History
Date: Sunday, February 10 (Special Valentine's Day Edition!)
Time: 1 - 4 PM
Admission: $65
***Must RSVP to morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com to be added to class list
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy


Today, join former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton for a special Valentine's Day-themed edition of Observatory's popular Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop. In this class, students will work with Rhinoceros beetles: nature's tiny giants. Each student will learn to make--and leave with their own!--shadowbox dioramas featuring carefully positioned beetles doing nearly anything you can imagine. Beetles and shadowboxes are provided, and an assortment of miniature furniture, foods, and other props will be available to decorate your habitat. Students need bring nothing, though are encouraged to bring along dollhouse props if they have a particular vision for their final piece; 1:12 scale work best.

Daisy Tainton was formerly Senior Insect Preparator at the American Museum of Natural History, and has been working with insects professionally for several years. Eventually her fascination with insects and  love of Japanese miniature food items naturally came together, resulting in cute and ridiculous museum-inspired yet utterly unrealistic dioramas. Beetles at the dentist? Beetles eating pie and knitting sweaters? Even beetles on the toilet? Why not?

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"Schöne Leiche," or "The Beautiful Corpse": The Cult of Beautiful Death in Vienna
Illustrated lecture by Mark 'Splatter' Batelli; thematic drinks and music by Friese Undine
Date: Tuesday, February 12
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $10
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Tonight's highly illustrated lecture will explore the special Viennese relationship to death as exemplified by their notion of Schöne Leiche, or the "Beautiful Corpse." Batelli will trace the history of this distinctive approach to mortality and discuss funerary customs, mourning culture, black humor, idiom, art, music, suicide and psychology, providing examples and exploring its origins and development in the former imperial capital. Before and after the lecture, enjoy special thematic "Death in Vienna" artisinal cocktails and music complements of artist Friese Undine.

Mark 'Splatter' Batelli is an artist based in Brooklyn, New York. He lived 5 years In Berlin and traveled extensively travels through Europe, spending much time in Vienna.


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Tragic Tattoo Tales: A Valentine’s Day Lecture and Reading with Tattoo Scholars Anna Felicity Friedman and Matt Lodder
Illustrated lecture and reading with tattoo scholars Anna Felicity Friedman and Matt Lodder
Date: Thursday, February 14 (Yes, Valentine's Day!)
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Love, loss… and disfigurement, murder, and flayed skin (with a bit of cannibalism and sadism thrown in for good measure). What better way to spend your Valentine’s Day evening than to join us for a glass of red wine, a bite of delicious chocolate, and a lecture on the history of tattooing combined with a reading of a series of historical tattoo-centered short stories by authors such as Roald Dahl (1958), Saki (1911), Junichiro Tanazaki (1910) and John Rickman (1781)?

Tonight, please join us for an evening with tattoo scholars Anna Felicity Friedman and Matt Lodder (both heavily tattooed themselves) who will lecture about and read tales that interweave tattoo history with romance and the macabre. Through illustrated slide lectures, Drs. Friedman and Lodder will present comparative historical material to provide context and deeper understanding and to separate fact from fiction. Learn about wide ranging tattoo topics in both Western and non-Western cultures and have questions answered that the stories raise. Did people really preserve tattooed skin? What were people reading about tattoos in the early twentieth century? Were Maori really tattooed head to foot? What were the connections between Ukiyo-e and Japanese tattooing in the Edo period?
And the stories… Come hear the account of a young Maori woman and an English sailor who had himself completely tattooed to gain her favor, only to be forcibly returned to his ship (in John Rickman’s 1781 travel narrative from Captain James Cook’s third voyage). Cringe at the tale of a businessman tattooed in Italy with an elaborate scene, but who was prohibited from ever showing it to anyone, swimming, or leaving the country (in Saki’s 1911 “The Background”). Shudder at the story of a Japanese woman lured into a tattooer’s studio, drugged, and forcibly tattooed (in Junichiro Tanazaki’s 1910 “Shisei (The Tattooer)”. Enjoy the fantasy of a young and not-yet famous Chaim Soutine who, during a bacchanalian evening, rendered a dorsal portrait of a tattoo artist’s wife that later mysteriously turns up as a “canvas” in an art gallery (in Roald Dahl’s 1952 “Skin”). Additional images related to the stories will be screened during the readings.
Chocolate and red wine will make things festive.

Anna Felicity Friedman has been researching the history of tattooing for over 20 years. Her recently completed PhD, from the University of Chicago, focuses on tattooed transculturites—Europeans and Americans who acquired non-Western tattoos as part of a process of cultural identity transformation. Her photoblog, Tattoo History Daily, offers glimpses into myriad aspects of tattoo history. An interdisciplinary scholar, she has taught, written, and lectured about body art, maps, rare books, and other sundry topics, works as a freelance curator, and currently teaches hybrid literature/film/art courses at the University of Chicago.

Matt Lodder is a London-based art historian. His work is primarily concerned with the history of Western tattooing and the artistic status of body art and body modification practices including tattooing, body piercing and cosmetic surgery. He writes regularly for Total Tattoo magazine, gives public lectures on tattoo history and related topics, works as a freelance writer and broadcaster for both radio and television, and teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in contemporary art and theory at the University of Reading and the University of Birmingham. He is currently writing a book called 'Tattoo: An Art History' for IB Tauris, due for publication in 2014.

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You can find out more about all of these events here, or sign up for them on Facebook by clicking here.

Image: From this recent post; Caption reads (to the best of my deciphering, and sic on the spelling throughout):
Beautys Lot
Adorn'd with Tates, I well could Boast, Of Tons and Macaronys Toast;
I once was Fair, Young, Frisky, Gay, Could Please with songs and Dance the Hay
Dear Belle's reflect Ye Morals see, As I now am, so You shall be.
Pub as the act directs Feb. 1, 1778...