Name: Art Exhibit: Embracing Strange
Location: Stanley-Whitman House

Art Exhibit: Embracing Strange

Stanley-Whitman House

An exhibit of tarot drawings by Andy Morgan and the curious photographs and installation of oddities by Luke and Mistina Hanscom.

ART EXHIBIT: "EMBRACING STRANGE"October 15 - November 30, 2021Stanley-Whitman House is pleased to announce an art exhibit featuring drawings inspired by the tarot by Andy Morgan and photography and oddity installations by Luke and Mistina Hanscom exhibited throughout the history center and to include four nights of performances in the historic house. Art exhibits at Stanley-Whitman House are free for members and non-members but do not include the nights of the performances of "Le Bal des Revenants" which are separate events and only available for purchase.FMI: <a href="http://www.s-wh.com" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">www.s-wh.org</a> or (860) 677-9222

ABOUT ANDY MORGANAndy Morgan conveys emotions through movement and form. During the isolation of the pandemic, he experienced loss and found solace in drawing and along the way was drawn to the Tarot. He found the images iconic and the themes mesmerizing. The Tarot have evolved over time from being Italian “playing cards” into a congregation of images possessing oracular powers. Rather than experiencing them as divinatory, Morgan found them revelatory - capturing essential themes of, and challenges to, one’s life. He further found them to be a source of creativity and a focal point for meditation. The Spiritus Mundi Tarot cards chronicle his life during the pandemic. Its images are primarily solitary and muted with respect to color. Although these Tarot cards capture and illuminate aspects of Morgan's life, he hopes they remain true to their original spirit and provide meaningful reflections to viewers as we all approach a world that is changed; a world into which we are all “Les Revenants.”

ANDY MORGAN: DRAWINGSDuring the pandemic, Andy Morgan kept a sketch book and produced a series of drawings and in his words thought, "of the present as a 'revenant' experience: After experiencing isolation and loss, during the pandemic I find the present moment to be a challenge to “return” to the world. It is, however, a return to a new world; the old world has been lost. It has changed by, altered by, the pandemic.In my art I strive to convey a sense of human experience. During the pandemic, I found myself returning to, and mulling over, questions such as 'Why does this happen? What will happen next? What does the future hold?'I found myself drawn to the Tarot. Its images are iconic and have evolved over time from being understood as a 'simple deck of Italian playing cards' to being viewed as a constellation of images with oracular power. Over the past year of isolation in the time of COVID, I found myself drawn to the Tarot as a source of both meditation and creativity. Rather than experiencing the imagery as divinatory, I found them revelatory of what it is to be human. Each of the images in Tarot Major Arcana represent an aspect of being human that I experienced during the past year. As such this series, this Spiritus Mundi set, is a personal chronicle of my life in 2020/2021. It was only after I finished them that I realized that the images that came to me differ from the traditional Tarot images in that -apart from Wheel of Fortune and the World - they are solitary. COVID-19 separated us physically from one another; many of us could not mourn in the company of others. These images came to me spontaneously, in their one time and order and provided comfort. Although these Tarot capture and illuminate aspects of my personal life, I hope they remain true to the original spirit and meanings of the Tarot and provide meaning to viewers as well."

ABOUT LUKE AND MISTINA HANSCOMMistina and Luke Hanscom are Lotta Studio, an East Coast based, image making studio. Specializing in product, editorial and fashion photography, they keep the set design, lighting design, retouching and printing in house. In 2015, Lotta Studio branched out to serve the larger creative community by offering CoWorking and Private studio opportunities. Creating an organic collaborative environment.Along with our Photographic career’s, our investment in the Arts community as a whole (Lotta) is loaded with local collaborations. We value high production team efforts paired with creative workflow.Read: <a href="http://dailynutmeg.com/2015/12/18/lotta-studio-range-luke-mistina-hanscom-lens-crafters/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://dailynutmeg.com/2015/12/18/lotta-studio-range-luke-mistina-hanscom-lens-crafters/</a>

LUKE &amp; MISTINA HANSCOM: PHOTOGRAPHSThe printed photographic images of both Luke and Mistina Hanscom are a cumulation of multiple different explorations. Their main object throughout the work was to convey the parallels between struggles of identity and loss, followed by the distinctly different pathways of mourning from one sex to another while softly and eventually merging back into a state of connection. "Within ourselves we find generations of ancestors that have laid so form of a foundation for us to build better structures for us as mental and physical beings. Providing tools for healing and rebuilding, that we often struggle to see, As we learn to acknowledge our past, we can heal for the future. Using our visual art as a form therapeutic expression we search our souls for guidance in living."

ODDITY INSTALLATION"This installation of oddities is a representation of who we are built from and where those who have come before us have been. Animal skulls, bones, teeth, doll heads, antique art supplies, taxidermy, tools, hides, old pictures, old skates, antique razors, scissors, skeleton keys, wooden circles, vintage clocks, lace fabrics. All pieces of a historic story that has yet to be told. These pieces of found objects will provide the foil to Andy Morgan's performance of "Le Bal des Revenants.”

// ABOUT THE MUSEUM //Stanley-Whitman House is a living history center and museum that teaches through the collection, preservation, research, and dynamic interpretation of the history and culture of early Farmington. Programs, events, classes, and exhibits encourage visitors of all ages to immerse themselves in history by doing, acting, questioning, and engaging in colonial life and the ideas that formed the foundation of that culture.FMI: <a href="https://s-wh.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://s-wh.org/</a>

<h3>This exhibit has been generously supported by Lawrence E. Rose Incorporated of Farmington, CT, Sean Duffy, and the S-WH Director's Resource Fund.</h3>

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Art Exhibit: Embracing Strange

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Art Exhibit: Embracing Strange

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