We at Morbid Anatomy are very excited to announce a score of parties, lectures and workshops taking place in the weeks and months to come!
Tomorrow night--Wednesday June 11--we hope you'll join us for our first co-production with our wonderful new neighbors The Bell House for a (free!) evening celebrating animal minds on the fringe--both human and non--as explored in the new book Animal Madness: How anxious dogs, compulsive parrots and elephants in recovery help us understand ourselves by writer and historian of science Laurel Braitman. For this event, journalist, humorist and documentary maker Jon Ronson will disclose a little of his next project, tell stories from his book The Psychopath Test, and give a sneak preview into his work-in-progress book on the topic of public shaming, while Braitman will read selections from her book touching on such topics as bonobos with human psychiatrists, the story of "Animal Pharm," and killer elephants who are rehabilitated back into society after "psychotic breaks."
There will be selection of vintage shorts from Oddball Films including "The Cat Who Drank and Used Too Much," (1987) "In a Harem" (about a poodle in a harem); I'm Mad at Me (1974), a mini-musical of children's anger and frustration, "Mae West Meets Mr. Ed," a claymation version of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species and " Caninabis - The Junky Dog (Color, 1979); selections from Dana Sherwood's "Banquets in the Dark Wildness" film series; phrenology readings by author Colin Dickey, music, drinks, and more. Copies of Animal Madness will be available for sale and signing along with Jon’s books. More on the event can be found here.
And tonight--Tuesday, June 10!--we hope to see you at a talk/book signing dedicated to one of our greatest all time heroes: early American museologist Charles Willson Peale (more on that here) followed by Possession and Prophets, an illustrated lecture with Ava Forte Vitali, Metropolitan Museum of Art (Thursday, June 12). Tthis Saturday, June 14. also have an iteration of our popular Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop with Former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton.
In the weeks and months to come, we have scores of other fantastic events, including Popular Anatomy on The Bowery: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten American Institution, an illustrated lecture with author Alice Sparberg Alexiou (Tuesday, June 17); Beyond Voyeurism: An Ethology of the Peep Show Arcade: an illustrated lecture with Amy Herzog (Friday, June 20); Phantom Creep Cinema: Vintage Horror Films, Cartoons, Popcorn and Nonsense (Sunday, June 22); Death and Eroticism: The Darker Side of Desire (Wednesday, June 25); An Ocean Garden: The Secret Life of Seaweed illustrated lecture and book signing with Josie Iselin (Thursday, June 26); Morbid Anatomy Museum's inaugural exhibition "The Art of Mourning" (Friday, June 27); our first ever Morbid Anatomy Summer Flea Market (Sunday, June 29th); Victorian Cult of the Dead: Mourning Practices, Garden Cemeteries and the Invention of the Murder Celebrity (Monday, June 30); The Dead Alive: The Victorian Fear of Premature Burial illustrated Lecture by Megan Rosenbloom (Tuesday, July 1); Morbid Curiosity: A Morbid Anatomy Meet-Up Night hosted by Daisy Tainton (Monday, July 7th); The Skeleton Crew: Forensic Science and the Identification of the Unnamed Dead: an Illustrated lecture and book party with MIT's Deborah Halber and retired NYPD detective sergeant John Paolucci (Tuesday, July 8); and Extraordinary Birds: The Art of Ornithology Lecture and Book Signing with Paul Sweet, Department of Ornithology at AMNH (Tuesday, July 22 STAY TUNED FOR DATE CHANGE); Demonically Possessed Cats (!), an illustrated lecture with Dr. Paul Koudounaris (Thursday, August 7); Industrial Ladies: An Illustrated Lecture by Evan Michelson of Science Channel's Oddities (Thursday, September 11); Halloween: The Curious Story of America's Most Horrible Holiday with Lesley Bannatyne, author of Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History (Sunday, October 26th); Monsters on the Brain: A Natural History of Horror, an illustrated lecture with Professor Stephen T. Asma, author of Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads and On Monsters (Thursday, October 30); AND the second iteration of our Mexican Day of the Dead field trip: Muerte en Mexico curated, organized and guided by Mexican writer and Morbid Anatomy Scholar in Residence Salvador Olguín.
And, for those who prefer to learn arcane skills, we have a number of excellent workshop offerings including Anthropomorphic Mouse Taxidermy Class with London Taxidermist Margot Magpie (Wednesday, June 18th); The Skull Beneath the Skin: Drawing the Human Skull with NYU's Chris Muller with real human skulls loaned by Ryan Mathew Cohn of TV's Oddities (Saturday, July 1); Snake Skeleton Articulation with Evolution Store Skeleton Preparator Amanda Lee (Saturday, July 5th); Butterfly Preservation Workshop with Taxidermist in Residence Divya Anantharaman (Sunday, July 6); Frederik Ruysch Wet Specimen Workshop (Sunday, July 13th); a Dissection and Drawing Workshop with Real Anatomical Specimens with physical anthropologist Samuel Strong Dunlap, PhD (Saturday, July 26) and a Carbon Dust Drawing Workshop, Featuring Real Anatomical Specimens Drawing class with Board Certified Medical Illustrator Marie Dauenheimer, MA, CMI (Sunday, July 27); and a class in the Victorian Art of Hair Jewelry with Art Historian and Master Jeweler Karen Bachmann (Saturday, August 2); Anthropomorphic Mouse (One or Two Headed!) Taxidermy Class with Divya Anantharaman (Sunday, August 3); and finally, Fancy Chicken Taxidermy Class with Taxidermist in Residence Divya Ananthamaran (Saturday, August 23).
Full list and more information on all events can be found here. Hope very much to see you at one or more of these terrific events!
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Humankind First, Brutes After: Charles Willson Peale, His Museum, and Collecting and Categorizing Nature in the Early US
Illustrated lecture and book signing with author Nathaniel Popkin
Date: TONIGHT Tuesday, June 10
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $8
Buy tickets here
*** Offsite: Morbid Anatomy Museum (New Space) , 424A 3rd Avenue (Corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue)
*** Copies of Lion and Leopard will be available for sale and signing
Artist, inventor and naturalist Charles Willson Peale is best remembered today as the founder of the first American museum. His Philadelphia Museum--opened in the 1780s--displayed side by side his own paintings and taxidermy, the first displayed skeleton of an American mastodon, and other assorted curiosities arranged according to the principles of Linnaean taxonomy. Blurring our contemporary boundaries between art and science, Peale's museum can be seen as a kind of missing link between the Cabinets of Curiosities of old and today's museums.
More here.
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A Night of Animal Madness with Jon Ronson and Laurel Braitman, Presented by The Morbid Anatomy Museum at The Bell House
Date: TOMORROW NIGHT Wednesday, June 11
Time: 8:00 PM (Doors 7:30)
Admission: FREE!! (More here)
*** Offsite at The Bell House (149 7th Street, Brooklyn NY 11215; Map here)
***Copies of Animal Madness will be available for sale and signing
Tonight we hope you'll join us for an evening celebrating animal minds on the fringe--both human and non--as explored in the new book Animal Madness: How anxious dogs, compulsive parrots and elephants in recovery help us understand ourselves by writer and historian of science Laurel Braitman. The book is a tale of insanity in the animal kingdom and the ways in which creatures like compulsively-masturbating orangutans or wombats on anti-psychotic drugs have helped humans make sense of our own wild minds, and how to heal them. Laurel Braitman will read selections from her book touching on such topics as bonobos with human psychiatrists, the story of "Animal Pharm," and killer elephants who are rehabilitated back into society after "psychotic breaks." Journalist, humorist and documentary maker Jon Ronson will tell stories from his book The Psychopath Test and give a sneak preview into his work-in-progress book on the topic of public shaming; there will be short films on the topic by Oddball Cinema; phrenology readings by author Colin Dickey, music, drinks, and more. Copies of Animal Madness will be available for sale and signing along with Jon’s books.
More here.
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Possession and Prophets: Illustrated lecture with Ava Forte Vitali, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Illustrated lecture with Ava Forte Vitali, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Date: THIS WEEK Thursday, June 12
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $8
Buy tickets here
*** Offsite: Morbid Anatomy Museum (New Space) , 424A 3rd Avenue (Corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue)
Part of the Death and The Occult in the Ancient World Series
On the ancient Mediterranean, the words and wishes of the gods were handed down through a number of different conduits – some human and some not. What were the vehicles for prophecy and how were they interpreted in Ancient Egyptian society? From omens to offerings to the ancient equivalent of ‘phone a friend,’ the manner in which the living communicated with their deities varied, across economic levels and with the development of time. We often see instances of both godly and demonic possession, and will discuss the different vehicles through which the gods could speak, including statues, smells, wind, light, and humans and animals, briefly expanding our dialogue to include neighboring Greece and Roman.
More here.
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Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop with Former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton
Date: THIS WEEK Saturday, June 14
Time: 1 – 4 PM
Admission: $75
***Must buy ticket here
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
***Offsite*** Morbid Anatomy Museum ( New Location ) : 424A 3rd Ave
Corner of 7th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Today, join former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton for Morbid Anatomy’s popular Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop.
Rhinoceros beetles: nature’s tiny giants. Adorable, with their giant heads and tiny legs, and wonderful antler-like protrusions. If you think they would be even more adorable drinking tiny beers and holding tiny fishing poles, we have the perfect class for you! In today’s workshop, students will learn to make–and leave with their own!–shadowbox dioramas featuring carefully positioned beetles doing nearly anything you can imagine.
Xylotrupes gideon beetles will be available, one per student. They measure about 3″ tall when standing vertically.
More here.
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Popular Anatomy on The Bowery: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten American Institution
Illustrated lecture with author Alice Sparberg Alexiou
Date: Tuesday, June 17
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $8 (Tickets here)
*** Offsite: Morbid Anatomy Museum (New Space) , 424A 3rd Avenue (Corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue)
Once upon a time, when "The Bowery" was synonymous with anything low-life, it was filled with “anatomical museums.” These were a combination of freak shows, live animals, and jars of dead babies in formaldehyde. Sometimes these “museums” also featured live performances. These places were also known for scamming their customers. The possibility of danger enhanced the pleasure to be derived from a night out on the Bowery, which by the time of the Civil War was growing ever more notorious for its wicked ways. Anatomical museums made great targets for irate ministers and others among the ranks of an obstreperous anti-vice crusade that was then growing in tandem with the temperance movement. In 1873 the hysterically puritanical and savvy politician Anthony Comstock established his New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, and even pushed a law to that effect through Congress. The Bowery was one of his favorite targets, and in 1888, Comstock participated in a raid there that resulted in the shutting down of three of the Bowery's most notorious anatomical museums.
More here.
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Anthropomorphic Mouse Taxidermy Class with London Taxidermist Margot Magpie
Date: Wednesday June 18th
Time: 8-11pm
Admission: $100 (Tickets here)
This class is part of the Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
*** Offsite: Morbid Anatomy Museum (New Space) , 424 A 3rd Avenue (Corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue), 11215 Brooklyn, NY
Subway: 4th Av – 9th Street (R – F – G)
Margot Magpie, leading taxidermy artist from London, takes you through the step-by-step process of mouse taxidermy: from ethically sourcing your rodents, to preservation, stuffing, and positioning. By the end, you'll have a happy little mouse, a quirky talking point for your living room and a new experience to tell your friends about. Her work has been worn by the likes of the Chirurgeon's Apprentice, Lindsey Fitzharris, and musician Amanda Palmer, and has appeared on tour with Lana Del Rey, and at the Science Museum London. She blogs about her thoughts and experiences for the Huffpost UK and on ofcorpsetaxidermy.wordpress.com
More here.
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Beyond Voyeurism: An Ethology of the Peep Show ArcadeAn illustrated lecture with Amy Herzog, Queens CollegeDate: Friday, June 20 (Tickets here)
Time: 8 pm
Admission: $8
Location: The Morbid Anatomy Museum, 424 A 3rd Avenue (Corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue), 11215 Brooklyn, NY
This latest installment of Amy Herzog's ongoing research into the history of Times Square centers on the apparatus of the peep show arcade as a cinematic and social phenomenon. The midcentury peep booth, constructed from outmoded film devices, serves as a curious interface: it places the filmed bodies it displays, as well as the bodies of its users, within a complex architecture of automation, exchange, performance, and refusal. This illustrated talk will rethink the act of public peeping as an embodied social practice.
More here.
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Phantom Creep Cinema: Vintage Horror Films, Cartoons, Popcorn and Nonsense with Mighty Moloch, Isadora Spivey, Ek the Ghoul, and more
Date: Sunday, June 22
Time: 3-7 pm
Admission: $5 (Tickets here)
Many years ago, a vault sealed with forgotten film fragments was paved over and lost to time. PHANTOM CREEP CINEMA has unearthed languishing lore of motion picture history! Join the Mighty Moloch, Isadora Spivey, Ek the Ghoul, and more, for an afternoon of nonsense including hours and hours of digest-length horror, sci-fi, comedy, and cartoons, all projected from super8, 8mm and 16mm prints! Plus, free popcorn! Not for the weak of heart!
More here.
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Death and Eroticism: The Darker Side of Desire
Illustrated Lecture by Romany Reagan, PhD Candidate, Royal Holloway, University of London
Date: Wednesday, June 25
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $8 (tickets here)
*** Offsite at the Morbid Anatomy Museum ( New Location ) : 424A 3rd Ave (Corner of 7th St), Brooklyn, NY 11215
From medieval Death and the Maiden imagery to the modern cemetery as an after-hours sex den, the link between sexual arousal and death has been a long-noted aspect of the human sex drive. Far from being relegated to the outer fringes of necrosadism, the sexual thrill of flirting with death and danger has been explored and analyzed from political, psychological and medical angles. The very act of confronting death sends up a primal drive to reassert life in the form of virile sexual expression. This impulse is commonly thought to manifest exclusively in the psychopathy of deviants, but sexual arousal in response to death imagery and near death experiences is actually an impulse based on affirmation of life rather than a desire for death. This talk will explore this darker side of desire through the works of Foucault, Berscheid & Walster, Bataille, the Victorian post-execution autopsies of Dr Croker King and personal research in Abney Park Cemetery.
More here
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An Ocean Garden: The Secret Life of SeaweedAn Illustrated lecture and book signing with Josie Iselin
Date: Thursday, June 26
Time: 8 PM
Admission: $5 (Tickets here)
*** Offsite: Morbid Anatomy Museum (New Space) , 424 A 3rd Avenue ( Corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue ), 11215 Brooklyn, NY (Subway: 4th Av - 9th Street : R - F - G)
Seaweeds are some of the most ecologically important organisms on earth and few people know how stunningly beautiful and varied they are. Spectacular images of select species from both the West and East Coasts will accompany a presentation including easy to understand science of seaweed. Josie will discuss her evolution as a bookmaker as well as how she produced the unique view of marine algae found in her newest book, An Ocean Garden: The Secret Life of Seaweed (Abrams, March 2014). Her book will be available for sale and signing after the talk.
More here.
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"Art of Mourning" Exhibition Preview Party
Art of Mourning exhibition preview party with hors d'oeuvres, drinks, music and curator and collector talks
Date: Friday, June 27
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $50 (tickets here)
*** Offsite at the Morbid Anatomy Museum ( New Location ) : 424A 3rd Ave (Corner of 7th St), Brooklyn, NY 11215
Please join us for a special preview party to celebrate The Morbid Anatomy Museum's inaugural exhibition "The Art of Mourning," which will showcase decorative arts relating to mourning culture from the 18th to the 20th century. Pieces will include post-mortem photography; hair art shadowboxes and jewelry; memorial cards; mourning paraphernalia; death masks; and spirit photography and will feature never before exhibited artifacts drawn from the private collection of Stanley B. Burns MD, author of Sleeping Beauty and founder of The Burns Archive. Also included will be pieces from the collections of Karen Bachmann, Jennifer Berman, Jennifer Butkevich, Alice Lease Dana, Tracy Hurley Martin, Evan Michelson and Mike Zohn. Curators Joanna Ebenstein and Evan Michelson and many collectors will be on hand to show their pieces and answer your questions. Hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served and thematic music will be played.
Image: Hand colored mourning photograph from the collection of Stanley B. Burns MD, author of Sleeping Beauty and founder of The Burns Archive.
More here.
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Morbid Anatomy Summer Flea Market
Date: Sunday, June 29th
Time: 12pm to 7pm
Admission: FREE
Location: The Morbid Anatomy Museum (New Space) , 424A 3rd Avenue (Corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue), 11215 Brooklyn, NY
Want to sell your wares? Contact laetitia [at] morbidanatomymuseum.org
Do you love Morbid Anatomy's annual Holiday Fair? If so, you won't want to miss our first Summer Market on Sunday June 29th at the new Morbid Anatomy Museum! Antique hunters and curiosity collectors know than nothing is better than a lazy Sunday spent at a great flea market; at this one, you'll find all of your favorite artists, makers and antique peddlers, including Ryan Matthew Cohn (of Science Channel's "Oddities") with his osteology and antiquities; Daisy Tainton with her insect shadowboxes and mourning rings; Amber Jolliffe Maykut with her taxidermy curiosities; Elizabeth New and her abject housewares; Karen Bachmann and her hair art; and much more, all accompanied by the exotic tunes of Morbid Anatomy DJ in Residence Friese Undine!
More here.
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Victorian Cult of the Dead: Mourning Practices, Garden Cemeteries and the Invention of the Murder Celebrity
Illustrated Lecture by Romany Reagan, PhD Candidate, Royal Holloway, University of London
Date: Monday, June 30
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $8 (tickets here)
*** Offsite at the Morbid Anatomy Museum ( New Location ) : 424A 3rd Ave (Corner of 7th St), Brooklyn, NY 11215
Victorian mourning practices are famous for their lavish beauty: elaborate mourning costumes, plumed horses drawing luxurious funerary carriages, and lush garden cemeteries. These collective practices have been referred to as the 'Victorian Cult of the Dead,' but it could be argued that what seems to be an obsession with death has more to do with a lack of visible death practices in our own culture. Through analyzing the works of historians James Stevens Curl, Catherine Arnold and Judith Flanders, this talk will explore the ways in which the Victorians honored their dead through ritual and beauty -- and how an intimacy with death coupled with the modern newspaper led to the invention of the murder celebrity.
More here.
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The Dead Alive: The Victorian Fear of Premature BurialIllustrated Lecture by Megan Rosenbloom, Medical Librarian at the University of Southern California
Date: Tuesday, July 1
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $8 (tickets here)
*** Offsite at the Morbid Anatomy Museum ( New Location ) : 424A 3rd Ave (Corner of 7th St), Brooklyn, NY 11215
Megan Rosenbloom, medical librarian at the University of Southern California, takes you on an exploration of the Victorian obsession with premature burial based on books from the era, and how those lurid books inspired fiction works by the likes of Edgar Allan Poe. Megan will delve into some of the purported tales of live burial, the entrepreneurs who made safety coffins, the societies formed to protect against this primal fear, and the ways this fear trickles down into our modern culture.
More here.
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Snake Skeleton Articulation with Evolution Store Skeleton Preparator Amanda Lee
Date: Saturday, July 5th
Time: 12pm to 6pm
Admission: $200 (tickets here) Presented by Morbid Anatomy
Science and art merge beautifully in the age old practice of skeletal preparation and articulation. Assembling skeletons serves as a way to acquaint oneself more intimately with faunal and human anatomy, in addition to acting as a means by which to create wondrous art pieces.
In this class, students will learn about the techniques and tricks of processing and articulating skeletons—including bone defleshing methods, chemical cleaning, and an overview of skeletal anatomy as it pertains to articulation—while posing and framing a specimen of their very own. Students are encouraged to get creative with posing their skeletons and are involved in every step of the creation of the piece; from posing to closing of the frame. All of the necessary materials to create a framed snake will be provided, including one snake skeleton, a double glass frame, glue, and tools.
More here.
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Butterfly Preservation Workshop with Taxidermist in Residence Divya Anantharaman
Date: Sunday, July 6
Time: 12pm - 3pm
Offsite*** ( New Location ) : 424A 3rd Ave, Corner of 7th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Price: $90
*** Purchase tickets by clicking here.
This class is part of The Morbid Anatomy Art Academy
In this beginners class, students will learn everything about basic butterfly preparation. We will discuss harvesting and drying specimen, rehydrating dried specimen, and in class we will practice handling techniques, spreading, mounting, the nuances of posing, display, and maintenance. An assortment of ethically sourced butterflies in various sizes, shapes, and colors will be provided. Students will learn how to put together and maintain their own rehydration chamber, things to check for during all stages of the process to ensure a clean and successful end product, and tips for gentle handling. Students will also build their very own spreading boards for use in class and beyond. We will also cover how to select museum quality materials for displays. Display cases for finished butterflies will be provided.
More here.
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Morbid Curiosity: A Morbid Anatomy Meet-Up Night
Hosted by Daisy Tainton
Date: Monday, July 7th
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $15 (includes one free adult beverage)
Purchase tickets here
*** Offsite at the Morbid Anatomy Museum ( New Location ) : 424A 3rd Ave (Corner of 7th St), Brooklyn, NY 11215
If you have felt left out, now is your chance to come and meet your new besties for some esoteric parlour games and casual conversation at the new Morbid Anatomy Museum.No age maximum, all above 21 are welcome. Your ticket comes with one free adult beverage to get the ball rolling, sponsored by Dionysus. Your fearless party hostess, Daisy Tainton, will be on hand to make introductions and coax your inner hermit crab out of its shell.
More here.
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The Skeleton Crew: Forensic Science and the Identification of the Unnamed Dead
Illustrated lecture and book party with MIT's Deborah Halber and retired NYPD detective sergeant John Paolucci
Date: Tuesday, July 8
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $8
Buy tickets here
*** Offsite: Morbid Anatomy Museum (New Space) , 424A 3rd Avenue (Corner of 7th Street and 3rd Avenue)
***Copies of Skeleton Crew will be available for sale and signing
Please join author Deborah Halber and retired NYPD detective sergeant John Paolucci for an evening exploring what happens when human remains—victims of homicides, suicides and accidents--cannot be identified. The talk, book signing and wine-and-cheese reception mark the release of Deborah Halber’s narrative nonfiction book, The Skeleton Crew: How Amateur Sleuths Are Solving America’s Coldest Cases.
More here.
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Frederik Ruysch Wet Specimen Workshop
Date: Sunday, July 13th
Time: 1:00 PM - 6 PM
Admission $100 (Limited to 8 students)
Purchase tickets here
Presented by Morbid Anatomy
*** Offsite at the Morbid Anatomy Museum ( New Location ) : 424A 3rd Ave (Corner of 7th St), Brooklyn, NY 11215
In this workshop, artist and wet specimen restorer Mark Batelli will teach students how to preserve and prepare specimens in an educational, allegorical and artful manner inspired by the work of Dutch anatomist Frederik Ruysch (1638 – 1731). Students will be provided with their choice of a gopher or frog, a selection of other non living objects with which to embellish the jar, and all other necessary materials to creating a finished piece.
More here.
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The Skull Beneath the Skin: Drawing the Human Skull with NYU's Chris Muller
Skull drawing with real human skulls loaned by Ryan Mathew Cohn of TV's Oddities
Date: Saturday, July 19
Time: 1 – 4 PM
Offsite*** ( New Location ) : 424A 3rd Ave, Corner of 7th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Admission: $30
*** Purchase tickets by clicking <a data-mce-href="http://morbidanatomy.bigcartel.com/product/the-skul