Guest Curator Archive

We are honored and grateful to our Guest Curators for sharing their collections with us. This page will allow you to see what you might have missed or give you an opportunity to revisit their treasures.

Barbara Wimbush

In the upper left hand corner is a photograph of Emma LeBron Scheerer at age 14; Emma as a young bride in the oval frame on the mantle; Emma’s exquisite sampler made in 1859 as a very young girl; Sterling silver ladle made by her father, Jeweler, Leo LeBron. Gifted to Charles and Emma on their wedding day in 1873.
Photo of Charles Scheerer in bronze frame on mantle circa 1905; Sterling silver napkin ring engraved ‘Emma’ made by her father, Leo LeBron; Certificate of Marriage for Charles and Emma Scheerer, 1873, in the upper right frame on the bottom.
Overall view of the Scheerer display including, receipt of the REO Touring car for $1400, immediately above the chair on the left; dollar bill that travelled “round-the-world” with Emma, directly above the stool on the right.
Colorized photograph of the Scheerer garden in Galena, circa 1920’s. Colorization was a common practice before color photographs became common place in the 1960’s. The garden looks essentially the same today.

Nan Rubin

Unplugged 12”x 14” Beatrice Coron
‘’Tree of Life’’ Mezuzah 2’’x ’’6 Judith Hankin A mezuzah is a small decorative box with a Hebrew prayer inside that Jews put on the doorposts of their Homes as a reminder that God is everywhere we go. This has a window to view the prayer scroll.
Pomegranates – Shehekianu Prayer English and Hebrew 3.5’’x 5’’
Peace in Jerusalem 8”x 12” Nan Rubin The design is symmetrical and the words in the center read “Shalom” and “Salaam” upside down and right side up.
Laundry Day 2”x 3” Swiss Scherenschnitte
Frida 36” x 26” Catalina Delgado Trunk
Eagle Prayer 27” x 16” Inuit Artist Charles Tuckfield Jr
Desert Amulet 9” x 9” Nan Rubin The design features eagle feathers, squash blossoms, corn, and flowing water that brings sustenance in the desert.
Flower and Bird 1.5” x 2.5” Chinese

Doranne Croon Cedillo

Uriarte plate by Marcela Lobo, plato. 13 inches diameter X 2 inches deep. Design: Cobalt blue and white tea pot, sugar bowl and creamer afloat. Signed M. Lobo.
Uriarte large pitcher, jarra. 12 1/2 inches high X 9 inches wide. Design: Replica of a pitcher from the mid-19th century in the Franz Mayer Museum, Mexico City. As shown on the cover of La Talavera de Puebla, Artes de México, Edición Especial, 1995.
Uriarte large barrel planter, macetón. 12 inches diameter X 15 inches high. Design: Pinta or Santa María. Stylized orange and black flower buds and leaves.
Uriarte large ginger jar, tibor. 21 inches high X 12 1/2 inches wide. Design, Flor de Liz, Lily Flower.
Uriarte tall carrot-shaped vase, florero. 16 1/2 inches high X 6 inches wide. Design: Helecho, Fern.
Uriarte large milk jar, jarrón. 14 1/2 inches high X 9 1/4 inches wide. Design: Large pink geometric flower in center flanked by large green leaves, a cobalt blue dove above and below flower.
Uriarte large oval platter, platón ovalado. 18 1/2 inches long X 11 3/4 inches wide X 3 inches deep. Design: Large, stylized, cobalt blue and turquoise peacock.
Uriarte octagonal platter, ensaladera. 12 inches long X 14 1/2 inches wide X 2 1/2 inches deep. Design: Three orange carnations in center, a bird perched on each side, cobalt blue swirls.
Uriarte large bowl – lebrillo – with scalloped edge. 15 1/2 inches diameter X 6 1/2 deep. Design: Large, geometrically stylized, orange sunflower with yellow center.
Uriarte plate, plato. 12 inches diameter. Design: Puerto Vallarta.

Kristin Otto

This mask slightly resembles masks made in the Igbo cultural tradition (modern-day Nigeria), but is a purely invented form made for tourists. The mask holds a special place in my heart, because I purchased it on Ebay specifically to break it. I was learning approaches to restoration from a professional restorer and repaired the mask myself (after I broke it!).
This miniature wooden mask was likely carved for tourists (or researchers such as myself) as a small representation of the well-known cultural tradition of Indigenous women’s masquerades in the country. I purchased while strolling through Freetown’s “Big Market”, after having spoken with the mask sellers about their work.
This miniature, wooden coffin in the shape of Coca-Cola bottle comes from the workshop Paa Joe Coffin Works on the outskirts of Accra, Ghana. It is a small, collectible version of the much larger (literally and figuratively) practice of creating elaborate coffins that honor and respect the deceased. I purchased the mini coffin when conducting research on the cultural traditions of Ga figurative coffin making in Ghana.
This miniature, wooden coffin in the shape of Coca-Cola bottle comes from the workshop Paa Joe Coffin Works on the outskirts of Accra, Ghana. It is a small, collectible version of the much larger (literally and figuratively) practice of creating elaborate coffins that honor and respect the deceased. I purchased the mini coffin when conducting research on the cultural traditions of Ga figurative coffin making in Ghana.
Each of these textiles (now displayed as an assortment hanging above one of the computers in my office) are examples of wax prints or batik lappas (lengths of cloth a couple yards long) that could be used as wraps or garments across West Africa. Some were gifts, and some I purchased when I visited markets in Freetown, Sierra Leone and Accra, Ghana. The center navy cloth with orange and yellow is made in the batik style, and was given to me by a friend in Ghana. The rest are wax prints, an extremely common style of colorful textile now frequently made in both Dutch and Chinese companies.

Norma Elia Cantú

Photo courtesy of Trinity University
The two San Antonios hold a tiny child that you can remove until the saint finds what you have lost…or a spouse! The one on the left is 4” wood carved by Julia R. Orta and the one on the right, made of clay, is 4.5” and comes from Portugal.
Also on my bookshelf, is a recent acquisition, a cloth doll from Michoacan that I named Chavelita. I got Chavelita at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center Mercadito de Paz—an annual folk-art festival– about 4 years ago. All handstitched and embroidered Chavelita is about 14 inches tall.
The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center also has a clay art studio Mujerartes where women create beautiful pieces. This piece is 3” tall made by Vilma Sandra Velasco Vásquez.
Also from Mujerartes, San Antonio artist Enedina Vásquez’s danzante is 4.5” tall. I treasure this piece from a dear friend who recently passed away.
From Oaxaca’s Mexican folk artist Josefina Aguilar, I have this 6” tall cigarette smoking street walker from her Ladies of the Night series. I named her “La Güera” because of her blonde hair.
This 5.5-inch clay soldadera by National Heritage Award Fellow Verónica Castillo is one of my favorites. I named her Adelita.
This couple of tin work musicians stand 10” tall and hold candles for the Day of the Dead ofrenda.
I have a collection of odd dolls including a quinceañera doll that is in my archives at the University of Texas at San Antonio. To share here I chose two that are on my bookshelves: the Zapatista doll that a friend brought me from Chiapas about 20 years ago. The Zapatista is about 5 inches tall and made with what appear to be scraps of fabric and a wooden rifle.

Mary MacGregor-Villarreal

August 2021, on vacation in Ohio.
Silver, 5 1/2” long, 7/8” high at widest point; issued in 1942.
Crate measures 15”x14”x10” and is filled with dozens of cameras, lenses, filters, etc. purchased from about 1952 to 2010.
Silver chain 7” long with 5 charms each about 1/2” to 3/4” tall; the waffle iron is hinged.
Bronze? Diameter 1 1/4”, won in 1923.
Gold, 7/16” high x 5/16” wide, probably purchased sometime in the late 1920s.
3”x4” ceramic heart purchased around 2010 by my sister as a gift to our mom.
Pocketwatch with gold case, 1 3/4” diameter, possibly given to my grandpa around 1925, when he was a young man.
Western spurs, engraved and embossed metal possibly steel, already old when received as a gift in 1957.
Yellow colored metal tin, 1 7/8” x 7/8” x 3/8”, origin unknown.

Stu Burns

6.5” x 7” x 3.25”. Wood with oil paint. 1980s.
11” x 4” x .25”. Beadwork with nylon thread. 2017.
17” x 18”. Embroidered cloth under art glass. Date unknown (1980-2013).
11” x 8” x 2”. Wood, Masonite paneling, string, and lead. Ca. 1980.
8” x 8” x 1”. Wood. Date unknown (1974-2010).

Ruth Stotter

Height 4” Width 10”
Height: 15” Width: 23”
Tamil Nadu, India Height: 15”
1/2”
Height 9” Width 13”
Height 9” Width 13”
Miniature Punch and Judy stage 4 3/4” x 2 1/2”
Room – 18 1/2” x 12”
Height 9”
Artist: Helen H. Smith Hooper Bay, Alaska Height: 10”
“Eskimo” TOTEM POLE 10”
IVORY STORYKNIFE (1980) 15” Artist: Anthony Glazer WOODEN STORYKNIFE (1980) 12” This storyknife was made for me by the father of one of the schoolchildren in Scammon Bay, Alaska. Three school girls took me outside and patted the snow down, drew a circle, and each drew figures representing setting and people as they told their stories. The first girl told a Yup’ik legend. The second girl told an original story. The third girl retold a story that I had just told in her classroom.

Luisa Del Giudice, Ph.D.

Plague Doctor (Medico della Peste) Carnival mask, Venice, Italy (6 x 12 in.)
Tarot Cards (Justice), Classico Tarocco di Marsiglia, Ed. Il Meneghello, Milano, 1988 (2.5 x 4.5 in.)
Originating in the Abruzzo region, first attested in a notarial document of 1833.
A good luck charm especially worn against the evil eye (malocchio)( (1.57 in./4 cm.).
Playing cards made their appearance in Italy during the latter part of the 14th-C. Most are 40-deck, but some contain 36 and 52 cards, depending on their association with Northern Italian, German, Spanish, or French traditions, which also determines the name of their suits (semi), and whether they have figures (fante-knave, cavallo-knight, re-king) or not. There are many city or regional variants throughout the peninsula, with their own denomination: Bergamo, Bologna, Brescia, Genova, Milano, Naples, Piacenza, Piedmont, Romagna, Salzburg, Sardinia, Sicily, Ticino, Tuscany, Trento, Treviso, Trieste; and no longer in use, cards named after: Bari, Nuoro, Rome, Udine, Viterbo. We play the game of scopa (or briscola or tressette) with Neapolitan cards which have four suits: of bastoni (clubs), denari (gold coins), coppe (cups), and spade (swords). My 94-year-old mother loves to play scopa, normally wins. My father, when playing with “the men,” was renowned for ripping up cards during a particularly bad losing-streak. He always had extra decks on hand.
Playing cards made their appearance in Italy during the latter part of the 14th-C. Most are 40-deck, but some contain 36 and 52 cards, depending on their association with Northern Italian, German, Spanish, or French traditions, which also determines the name of their suits (semi), and whether they have figures (fante-knave, cavallo-knight, re-king) or not. There are many city or regional variants throughout the peninsula, with their own denomination: Bergamo, Bologna, Brescia, Genova, Milano, Naples, Piacenza, Piedmont, Romagna, Salzburg, Sardinia, Sicily, Ticino, Tuscany, Trento, Treviso, Trieste; and no longer in use, cards named after: Bari, Nuoro, Rome, Udine, Viterbo. We play the game of scopa (or briscola or tressette) with Neapolitan cards which have four suits: of bastoni (clubs), denari (gold coins), coppe (cups), and spade (swords). My 94-year-old mother loves to play scopa, normally wins. My father, when playing with “the men,” was renowned for ripping up cards during a particularly bad losing-streak. He always had extra decks on hand.
Tarot Cards (Justice), Classico Tarocco di Marsiglia, Ed. Il Meneghello, Milano, 1988 (2.5 x 4.5 in.)
Prayer Card of the (Black) Madonna, Maria Santissima di Tindari, Sicily (2 x 3.4 in.). Purchased at the pilgrimage site in Tindari (of ancient Greek origin, Tyndaris), in June 2014.

Faith Hutson

Italy: Artist, Umberto Ragazzi
U.S.A.: Artist, Bob Hutson
U.S.A.: Artist, Bob Hutson
U.S.A.: Artist, Bob Hutson
U.S.A.: Artists, Bob and Wilma Hutson
Peru: Unknown artist
Guatemala: Unknown artist
Ecuador: Unknown artist
Spain: Unknown artist
Ethiopia: Unknown artist
Turkey: Artist, Mustafa Yigit
South Africa: Unknown artist

Dan Jenkins

19”x 15”x 10.5” Made from Poplar and Basswood. The style of decoration is echoed in the Burmese language script.
25” x 23” x 15” Made from Mahogany, Koa, and Walnut. The flowers on the lower left post indicate that this is the SaoEk post, or main post of the house. In real structures it also defines which room is the main bedroom. In SE Asia, the direction of the stairs can indicate the social status. A ladder running up the side is for the average dwelling. A broken or L run indicates a Governors house. A straight run in means it’s a Temple, as in the large black spirit house shown later. I haven’t followed to this strictly in building, choosing to use whatever I felt fit the work piece.
19” x 22” x 19” Made from Poplar and Basswood with hand cast window decorations and 24k gold leaf. Interior murals, (not shown).
29” x 13” x 1.25” Carved from Poplar wood with Walnut wood frame. Ham Yon roughly translated means “Magic Testicles”, and are believed to hold male energy. They occupy the lintel space over the bedroom door. When a house is sold, the new owner smashes the old Ham Yon and puts his own up.
Column or post mounted. 18” x 20” x 12”. Made from Pine and Poplar wood. A column or post mounted spirit house allows the spirit to fly in and take up residence. This spirit is called Cao Phii, or “lord of the land”, and bestows favorable or unfavorable things depending on how it is treated. Every house has one as each Cao Phii only protects that area.
18” x 16.5” x 15”. Made from Basswood, Koa, Mahogany and Poplar woods, Pine wood Base. 24K gold leaf on the trim. The Northern Lanna Kingdom was a separate part of Siam before it was merged with the rest of the country.
26” x 65” x 26” Made from Poplar, Pine, and Basswoods. Black enamel with 24K gold accents. The curved points on the ends of the roofs are called Chofa which means “Sky hooks or Sky Tassels” They were believed to anchor the temple to the sky and also prevent demons from landing on the temple. The small tablet shaped decorations on the upper railing are called Bai Sema, and are used to delineate the area within them as holy ground. This took roughly 9 months off and on to complete, and is usually keep inside.
15’ x 15” Colored pencil on paper.
48” x 20”. Painted by Prasirt Saegsanor, from the collection of Dan Jenkins. These two paintings are done by a good friend of mine who does the interior paintings of many Temples here in Thailand. He was gracious enough to paint these for me, and they are truly stunning, even more so in person.
Clodagh Brennan Harvey
Burma; dimensions: 19.75”x19.75” (50 cm) I purchased this piece in Belfast in 1994. In Burma these tapestries are referred to as ‘gold thread embroidery’, employing a technique known as shwe gye. These heavily embroidered appliquẻ tapestries involve padded figures made from a variety of different materials sown on to a cotton or velvet background (usually red or black) to form scenes from Burmese classical plays (e.g., Hindu Ramayana stories, Buddhist Jataka tales). They are sewn using metallic or plain threads and decorated with sequins, beads, and glass.
Tibet/India (?). Wool. Dimensions: 69”x26.5” (175cm x 67cm) This shawl was sold to me in Los Angeles in 2011 as ‘Tibetan’. My investigations so far have revealed very scant information except that it appears to be machine made and is possibly the work of Tibetan workers in India. Again, I would greatly appreciate it if any visitors to the Gallery could enlighten me on any aspect of this piece.
Mexico. Dimensions: 4.25” (11 cm). Clay figurine. Artist unknown. I purchased this beautiful little figurine in Los Angeles in 2006; close inspection reveals its remarkable detail. I believe she is Yemanjá, an important water spirit/orisha in Candomblé (a syncretistic religion of Afro-Brazilian origin), but my attempts to confirm this have failed. I would greatly appreciate it if any visitors to the Gallery could provide any information on the identity, provenance, or purpose of this figure.
I purchased this piece in Santa Monica, California, in 2002. ‘CowParade’ was the first (and largest) public art exhibit of its kind. First held in Chicago in 1999, and subsequently in more than 80 cities worldwide, more than 2500 fibreglass, life-sized cows were created for these exhibits – always standing, grazing, or reclining – and decorated by local artists, both professional and nonprofessional. Cows were chosen for their universal appeal and for their flexibility as a ‘work space’. ‘Folkloricow’ is one of the collectibles to come out of CowParade. (These figurines are among the most popular collectibles in the world.) She begged to be put in the gallery!
Taos, New Mexico. Dimensions: 5.75” (14.5 cm) Artist: ‘Juanita’ (probably Juanita Martinez). I was given this figurine as a gift in 2001. It is a fine example of these dolls, and typical of such figurines, with children clambering up to hear the words of the (open-mouthed) storyteller, who can be either male or female. The motif itself is not traditional, but is an embellishment of the traditional motif of the ‘singing mother’; it was created by potter Helen Cordero of Cochiti Pueblo in 1964. The popularity of the motif spread rapidly and, eventually, several hundred potters were making storyteller dolls in more than a dozen pueblos.
Dimensions: 6.25” (16 cm). Mexico. Clay figurine. I confess that I love this little lady! I purchased her in West Los Angeles in 2003. The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos, Nov. 2) is a Mexican holiday celebrated in Latin America and throughout the Mexican diaspora. This is a lively, colourful festival when the souls of the dead return to visit the living. It involves the making of home altars (ofrendas) and calaveras (‘skulls’) of various kinds (chocolate, sugar); visitations to family graves; and offerings of favourite foods, beverages, and flowers (marigolds) to the dead. Over time Catholic elements have been removed and the festival focus is on indigenous iconography.

Peter Tokofsky

I studied in Germany for 18 months ending in July of 1989. When I departed, no one seemed to have any inkling that the East German revolution would bring down the Berlin Wall just a few months later. My friend Joachim in Berlin went out and gathered small bits of the breached barrier to share with me. I placed these two pieces in a case with certificate I purchased in Berlin some time later. The paint and composition of the Wall fragments in that case revealed that they clearly were not genuine despite the claim. As an artifact itself, however, the certificate and its English text reveal the interest tourists have in connecting with true history. I end this presentation with these Wall fragments as a reminder that social change can come peacefully and unexpectedly. Though few suspected the imminent end to the East German regime in the summer of 1989, people committed to greater freedom continued their efforts. Those efforts in East Germany eventually led to a true revolution without the loss of a single life.
Alfred “Big Al” Taplet, 1994. 24×20 inches. Plywood.
Alfred “Big Al” Taplet, 1994. 24×20 inches. Plywood.
Howard Finster, 1994. 23×5.5 inches. Plywood.
Howard Finster, 1994. 23×5.5 inches. Plywood.
Norbert Kox, 2018. 20×15.75 inches. Canvas.
I acquired this work while on a break from jury service at the Los Angeles Superior Courthouse in 1993. An elderly Chicano man put various items for sale on the top of a wall bordering the plaza in front of the court building. Most of the objects – toy cars, metal badges, belt buckles – were not unique or made by the vendor. This bus in a plastic case caught my eye. The man explained that he purchased the cast iron bus at the shop at the Sheriff’s Department. Although this shop does not exist today, it is mind-boggling to imagine a gift shop as part of a Sheriff’s department which has committed such extreme abuses of residents that one former sheriff is serving a federal prison sentence for obstructing an FBI investigation, and the Los Angeles County board of supervisors is currently investigating ways to remove the current sheriff from (elected) office as well. The man told me that he added the chained “Homies” along with the Homie Hound sitting nearby and encased the scene in a plastic box. Homies are collectable plastic figurines created by California artist David Gonzalez in an effort to create toys that look more like people he knows. My jury service that year was memorable for a number of reasons in addition to being an occasion for adding this original object to my collection. I served on a trial in which the defendant was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. The accused, a slight white woman, was a criminal defense attorney herself. This fact alone was enough for 2 or 3 members of the jury to declare her guilty. As they viewed it, anyone who would defend a criminal should be punished. I remember this clearly because it gave me an early insight into the political culture which has contributed to our nation’s current situation. Celebrity defense attorney Mark Geragos represented the accused. At the time, he was in the news for his defense of Clinton-associate Susan McDougall, a trial taking place simultaneous to ours (as the bailiff inappropriately brought to the attention of the jury). Geragos’s presentation did not impress me, and his client would have been found guilty if the prosecution had not made the mistake of keeping a folklorist on the jury. My skepticism led to doubts whether the facts presented in this case amounted to guilt. The defendant had dined at Chez Jay in Santa Monica — a watering hole I knew well and where my friends and I had never eaten anything other than the free peanuts offered to patrons. My knowledge of the locale raised questions for me about whether the defendant truly had just a single glass of wine with dinner, as she claimed, but I saw no productive purpose in condemning this individual to the criminal justice system. Surely she had friends who would intervene if, indeed, her drinking put herself and others at risk, as alleged in the charges. A key to the defense in the case was that that the incident took place in the aftermath of the uprisings in response to the acquittal of the Los Angeles police officers who had brutally beat Rodney King. Geragos wanted the jury to believe that the police were on edge and ready to pull over anyone. There were even 3 officers in the patrol car, a fact the defense pointed to repeatedly; only 2 testified and one of them was sympathetic to the defendant. In the end, the defense used the suffering of Black lives to benefit a white professional. There is a connection between the politics of race playing out in the courtroom and the bus line-up in this piece. The artist has created a visual commentary on the common fate of young men of color who suffer from systemic abuses at the hands of law enforcement. I placed a Homie on top of the case to symbolize the possibility and hope that a young man who dresses differently than his white counterparts can perhaps some day walk the street without fear of being assumed a criminal.
Artist unknown. Ca. 1993. Addition by Peter Tokofsky. Approx. 9.5x4x4 inches.

Donald Cosentino

Close-up of “Baby on the Blender” Sculpted by Getho to commemorate the anniversary of the earthquake that nearly leveled southern Haiti in 2010. The doll and the busted blender are imported items, the genius of their juxtaposition wrought by the artist whose sculpture is inspired by the Haitian proverb, “We’re Ugly, but we’re here.” See Cosentino, “Baby on the Blender,” Small Axe, 2011.
An altar for Bosu, the three-horned bull who is enforcer for the Petwo lwa in the Vodou pantheon. Vodouisant understand that a parallel universe exists behind the mirror, where the lwa may dwell. Artist: Pierrot Barra. Iron Market, Port au Prince, 1995. See Cosentino, Vodou Things, 1998.
Two ritual wanga (ritual power objects) seated on ti chaise, used for transformative magic. Artist-Oungan Sauveur St. Cyr, Port au Prince, 2010. Juxtaposed to Shadow Box with Suffering Jesus, also used for transformative Magic, Guanajuanto, Mex. 1996. Collected by Delia Cosentino.
Close up of Bawon Samdi/Gede Flag. Note death symbols juxtaposed to rampant phallus.
“Baby in Coffin” (Left) Artist: Eugene Andre, Port au Prince,. 2003. “Baby on the Blender” (right) Artist: Getho, Port au Prince, 2010. “La Caridad del Cobre” (Center) Havana Folk Art Market, 2002. I’ve entitled the assemblage on my bookshelf “Rezistans Altar” in honor of its two Haitian artists affiliated with an atelier entitled “Atis Rezistans.” See Cosentino, In Extremis: Death and Live in Twenty-First Century Haitian Art. UCLA. 2012.
Drapo (ritual flag) for Bawon Samdi/Gede. lwa of Death and Sexuality. Artist: Rudy Azor, Port au Prince, 2008. Juxtaposed to “Pieta” in Shadow Box. Date unknown.
Close up of “Pieta” framed by lace in a Foliard Frame. Probably of Ukrainian or Slovakian origin. Purchased in Philadelphia Art Market, ca 2018.
Drapo for Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide juxtaposed to an array of small power objects, including the Pillsbury Doughboy, Sri Sai Baba, Michael Jackson, Shango, Windup Nun, Dr. Hernandez…inter alia, all randomly collected. “Lavalas” (Deluge) spelled out on top the flag refers to the political movement begun by Aristide. Artist-Oungan Sylva Joseph, Port au Prince, 2004.

Sabina Magliocco

Kiliru (tool for making pasta). 12” in diameter; reed and raffia. Castelsardo, Sardinia (Italy), ca. 1986. No Sardinian kitchen was complete without one of these tools, used to shape small bits of dough into a characteristic Sardinian form variously called cicciones, culungiones, malloreddus, and by many other names. They look like tiny ridged dumplings, and are made by curling the dough against the reeds in the bottom of this basket-like object. Cicciones are a key part of festive meals in many parts of the island. The women of Bessude make cicciones for the town’s patronal feast of the Assumption of the Virgin (15 August), and today for a new cicciones festival that takes place the weekend before the festival, drawing more tourists into the town. Like many baskets, kiliros are made in Castelsardo, a town on the island’s northern coast, where many craftspeople specialize in this art.
Mammuttone mask, by Vincenza Carboni. 7.25” x 3.5” x 1”. European live oak with dark stain. Bessude, Sardinia (Italy), 1986. Mammuttones are Sardinian Carnival characters who wear heavy wooden masks, sheep skins, and large bells on their backs. They represent untamed animal nature and the wilderness. They dance and parade in many towns during Carnival. This small representation of a Carnival mask was carved for me by a key interlocutor in my study of Sardinian festivals and globalization. Wood carving is usually a man’s hobby in Sardinia; Vincenza Carboni (1947 – ) or “E.T.,” as she is known in my work, is an exception. She began playing around with carving knives as a small child after watching her brothers and uncles at the craft. A retired math and science teacher who served on the city council and as vice-mayor for many years, she became a skilled carver who has also made furniture and the characteristic carved wooden dowry chests typical of Sardinia. She gave me this mask as a gift before I left the field after a period of nearly a year, saying that by giving it to me, she was also unmasking herself.
Sa trizza (corn dolly), by Gavino Fancellu. Ca. 17” x 14”; wheat, steel wire. Bessude, Sardinia (Italy), 1986. Corn dollies are woven decorative and apotropaic objects typically made from the last sheaves of wheat or other grain harvested in the fields in late summer. The reapers left a few sheaves especially to make these, which were kept in the house to bring good luck until the next harvest. Tiu (“uncle,” an honorific) Gavino (1902-1996) made this one for me when I was living in Bessude in 1986, studying the effects of globalization on traditional Sardinian religious festivals. He was 84 at the time. He worked his entire life as a shepherd, agricultural laborer, and craftsman; he also made rope from hemp he grew, built dry stone walls, and crafted numerous objects for use in his home and in farming. Even at the age of 84, when I knew him, I would often see him walking from the fields carrying a heavy load of firewood on his back.
Round coil basket. 9” in diameter; reed and raffia. Castelsardo, Sardinia (Italy), ca. 1986. Historically, every Sardinian household would have had several dozen of these baskets made of reed and asphodel in many different sizes. They were essential to many types of agro-pastoral labor, and could be used to carry harvested materials, in threshing, in bread production, and for storage. This small version was made for the tourist trade in Castelsardo, a town on the island’s northern coast, where many craftspeople specialize in basket-weaving. Coil basketry is one of the oldest forms of basket-making on the planet, and is common throughout Africa and the southern Mediterranean. This one is decorated with a bird design, called puzzones, said to bring happiness and prosperity to brides. Traditionally, a bride had to make many of the objects she would need to run her household, from linens and rugs to baskets. On the day of her wedding, they would be carried in an ox- or donkey cart from her parents’ house to her new home, displaying her skills for everyone in the town to admire. This custom ended in the 1950s, but many Sardinian households still prize the beautiful and useful coil baskets made by women ancestors now long gone.
Amber figurine of an otter-woman or selkie, by Reva Myers. 3” x 1.5” x 1.5”. Amber. Bisbee, AZ, ca. 2000. This hand-carved amber figurine shows what at first appears to be a sea otter, but when the figurine is turned over, it is evident that a woman is emerging from the otter skin. It represents an otter-woman, analogous to the selkies of Scottish folklore – seals that can transform into humans and sometimes intermarry with them. It also recalls Indigenous ontologies of other-than-humans in which animals look human to one another, though to us they may appear as animals, because they are in fact persons. Reva Myers (1955-2019) was a painter and sculptor who lived most of her life in Bisbee, AZ. She is best known for her wearable art carvings in amber, antler, fossil ivory, and jet reflecting themes in nature and the modern Pagan movement. Reva featured prominently in my book Neopagan Sacred Art and Altars: Making Things Whole (University Press of Mississippi, 2001). Over the years I worked with her, I purchased a number of her pieces. Reva once explained that when making a carving, she communed with the spirit of the material to intuit the form to give the piece, allowing the shape to emerge organically from the material itself.
Amber figurine of an otter-woman or selkie, by Reva Myers. 3” x 1.5” x 1.5”. Amber. Bisbee, AZ, ca. 2000. This hand-carved amber figurine shows what at first appears to be a sea otter, but when the figurine is turned over, it is evident that a woman is emerging from the otter skin. It represents an otter-woman, analogous to the selkies of Scottish folklore – seals that can transform into humans and sometimes intermarry with them. It also recalls Indigenous ontologies of other-than-humans in which animals look human to one another, though to us they may appear as animals, because they are in fact persons. Reva Myers (1955-2019) was a painter and sculptor who lived most of her life in Bisbee, AZ. She is best known for her wearable art carvings in amber, antler, fossil ivory, and jet reflecting themes in nature and the modern Pagan movement. Reva featured prominently in my book Neopagan Sacred Art and Altars: Making Things Whole (University Press of Mississippi, 2001). Over the years I worked with her, I purchased a number of her pieces. Reva once explained that when making a carving, she communed with the spirit of the material to intuit the form to give the piece, allowing the shape to emerge organically from the material itself.
Cigarette case from Aviator’s Club; 3.5” x 5.75” x 5/16”. Silver with engraving. Italy, ca. 1930. [Photos 1-3] This silver cigarette case engraved with the signatures of world-famous aviators belonged to my grandfather, Vincenzo Magliocco (1891-1936), himself an aviation pioneer and one of the founders of modern aerial reconnaissance. He was a member of a folk group consisting of an exclusive international fraternity of aviators; each received a cigarette case engraved with the signatures of other members. The signatures of Italo Balbo, Gabriele d’Annunzio, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindberg, and Admiral Robert Byrd are clearly visible on this piece. This was probably a ceremonial object rather than something he kept his cigarettes (unfiltered Camels) in on an everyday basis; that’s why it has survived. He was killed on a reconnaissance mission in Italian East Africa (Ethiopia) in 1936; his remains were never identified or returned.
Cigarette case from Aviator’s Club; 3.5” x 5.75” x 5/16”. Silver with engraving. Italy, ca. 1930. [Photos 1-3] This silver cigarette case engraved with the signatures of world-famous aviators belonged to my grandfather, Vincenzo Magliocco (1891-1936), himself an aviation pioneer and one of the founders of modern aerial reconnaissance. He was a member of a folk group consisting of an exclusive international fraternity of aviators; each received a cigarette case engraved with the signatures of other members. The signatures of Italo Balbo, Gabriele d’Annunzio, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindberg, and Admiral Robert Byrd are clearly visible on this piece. This was probably a ceremonial object rather than something he kept his cigarettes (unfiltered Camels) in on an everyday basis; that’s why it has survived. He was killed on a reconnaissance mission in Italian East Africa (Ethiopia) in 1936; his remains were never identified or returned.
Cigarette case from Aviator’s Club; 3.5” x 5.75” x 5/16”. Silver with engraving. Italy, ca. 1930. [Photos 1-3] This silver cigarette case engraved with the signatures of world-famous aviators belonged to my grandfather, Vincenzo Magliocco (1891-1936), himself an aviation pioneer and one of the founders of modern aerial reconnaissance. He was a member of a folk group consisting of an exclusive international fraternity of aviators; each received a cigarette case engraved with the signatures of other members. The signatures of Italo Balbo, Gabriele d’Annunzio, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindberg, and Admiral Robert Byrd are clearly visible on this piece. This was probably a ceremonial object rather than something he kept his cigarettes (unfiltered Camels) in on an everyday basis; that’s why it has survived. He was killed on a reconnaissance mission in Italian East Africa (Ethiopia) in 1936; his remains were never identified or returned.

Sharon Hudgins

sharon@sharonhudgins.com TERMS OF USE: Non-exclusive use solely for this website. PHOTOS & TEXT: ©2020 Sharon Hudgin
Two tsatsal made by the same carver, with Buddhist symbols (Three Flames at the top of the handle, Endless Knot in the center) and Yin-Yang symbol in the form of two intertwined fish. The bowl of one spoon has a grid pattern of three-by-three square indentations for holding the milk, whereas the bowl of the other spoon has a less common grid pattern of three by three circular indentations. Purchased: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2008. Material, clear lacquer: Wood. Dimensions: 7-3/4 inches long (both spoons).
Tsatsal with the Buddhist Eternal Knot in the center of the handle and Fish Yin-Yang symbol at the bottom of the handle, topped by the Soyombo ideogram used on the Mongolian national flag. Purchased: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2008. Material: Wood, clear lacquer. Dimensions: 12 inches long.
Two tsatsal showing a dragon with a flaming tail at the top of the handle and a simple Yin-Yang symbol farther down the handle, flanked by two elephants (left tsatsal) and two gazelles (right tsatsal), and with two different shapes of the bowls that hold the milk. Purchased: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2007. Material: Wood, oil finish. Dimensions: 10-1/4 inches long (left spoon), 9-3/4 inches long (right spoon).
Tsatsal depicting “The Five Muzzles,” the five major milk-producing animals of the Mongolians (camels, horses, cattle, sheep, goats). A Buddhist Endless Knot symbol is at the top and a Buddhist Three Precious Jewels symbol is just above the bowl of the spoon. Purchased: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2006. Material: Wood, clear lacquer. Dimensions: 13-5/8 inches long.
Bottom half of an unusual milk spoon, with the 9 squares on the bowl each divided into 9 more squares, hence a total of 81 squares for the milk, thus increasing its spiritual power when the milk is tossed from the spoon. The lower part of the handle (shown) depicts the Buddhist Eternal Knot and protective swastika symbols, as well as the sun rising over the mountains of Mongolia. Carvings on the upper part (not shown) include clouds, a zodiac symbol, and a horse’s head. Purchased: Countryside east of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2018. Material: Wood. Dimensions: 16-1/4 inches long.
Unusually long spoon with the Mongolian national-flag Soyombo ideogram at the top and the Buddhist Eternal Knot symbol inside the square on the handle, as well as an interlocking pattern of repeated swastika motifs, representing both strength and unending life. (The swastika is an ancient symbol of strength, prosperity, long life, eternity.) A Buddhist swastika with the arms turning to the right, as on this spoon, represents protection against evil spirits, and the bringing of good luck to a household. Purchased: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2018. Material: Wood, clear lacquer. Dimensions: 17-1/4 inches long.
Two unusual Mongolian wooden tsatsals with carved-and-painted traditional Buddhist symbols, as well as animals associated with the Mongolian twelve-year calendar cycle and depictions of mountains, flowers, grass, the sun, and the crescent moon. Some of the paint on the larger tsatsal is also lightly gilded. The three-by-three grid pattern of the smaller tsatsal is carved with four indentations inside each of the nine squares, making 36 hollows to hold the milk, thus multiplying the strength and effectiveness of the milk offering when it is tossed into the air. Purchased: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2008. Materials: Wood, paint. Dimensions: 16 inches long (left), 14-1/2 inches long (right).
Tsatsal showing the twelve animals of the Mongolian twelve-year calendar, with a Buddhist Three Flames symbol at the top. Purchased: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 2007. Material: Wood, clear lacquer. Dimensions: 11 inches long.

Emma Lang

Purchased in Cork Ireland 2006. Materials: plastic, synthetic fleece, magnet. Dimensions: 2.5” x 2.25” This sheep magnet was purchased in Cork Ireland. The head is hard plastic and the body is just a scrap of synthetic fleece. I remember giggling when I saw it over how perfect a representation of a sheep it is.
Purchased in Cork Ireland 2006. Materials: plastic, synthetic yarn, metal, magnet. Dimensions: 3” x 2.5” There’s so much going on with this sheep, it has soft fur, a “Celtic” font, a pot of gold, a hat, and shamrocks, about as much Irish cultural iconography as can possibly fit. This is the sheep that started me down the collecting path.
Purchased in Lerwick Shetland 2016. Materials: plastic, magnet. Dimensions: 2” x 2.5” I was a summer intern at the Shetland Museum and Archives right out of college and while there learned a great deal about the unique local wool and sheep husbandry culture and traditions. When I saw this magnet on a recent visit I was drawn to it by the fact that despite the label there’s nothing particularly Shelandic about the scene, and I would assume that there are many places in the UK where you can buy the exact same magnet. In many ways it is the antithesis of the extreme example of culturally located sheep souvenir you saw in the previous magnet with the pot of gold, hat, and “Celtic” font.
Purchased in Reykjavíc 2016. Materials: plastic, magnet. Dimensions: 2.5” x 2.5” The utter silliness of this plastic sheep magnet drew me in when I was visiting Reykjavík. If an Icelandic sweater is out of your budget, why not buy a magnet of a sheep wearing an Icelandic style sweater?
Purchased in Tórshavn Faroe Islands in 2016. Materials: ceramic, synthetic yarn, Dimensions: 3” x 2” x 1.5” This is a ceramic sheep covered in soft tufts. I found it in the bookshop in Tórshavn Faroes and chose it from among many sheep options because of its design. Most sheep related souvenirs take the form of magnets, postcards, tea towels or soft toys, I liked that this sheep was none of those. Faroese sheep are a distinct breed and I liked having a souvenir that while not depicting that breed, was itself distinct in form from the other sheep in my collection.

Yvonne Milspaw

Papier Mache. 10 x 6 inches. Red with blue accents, blue “fangs” at his chin, and a golden forehead full of elaborate blue swirls. Possibly the Demon represents wealth as he tries to distract the Shepherds in their search for Baby Jesus.
Hand carved wood though solid, not hollowed out in the back. 8 x 6 inches, painted in yellow and red, with black dots and stripes. Whiskers are the stiff hairs from a natural source, possibly an animal. Somewhat asymmetrical. The Jaguar is indigenous to Mexico but also echoes the people’s Native background, where deities appeared as a frightful Jaguar. He is a favorite character who tires to frighten the Shepherds on their quest for Baby Jesus.
Hand carved wood, 8 x 6 inches. Gold, with pink cheeks and mouth, and elaborate painted eyelashes. The flowers in her hair–gold, green and red–are painted dried “flowers”, possibly a variety of thistle. She attempts to seduce the Shepherds, or at least to distract them as they attempt to locate the Baby Jesus.
Papier Mache, 17 x 10 inches, molded in the shape of a face. Multi-colored, with a yellow nose and scary pointy teeth. The mask is quite beat up, but still frightening. He orchestrates the trouble the Shepherds will encounter. The favorite character to hate.
Hard carved wooden mask, 9 x 7 inches, red face with blue chin, impressive mustache, and eyebrows. His eyes have eyelashes possibly of horsehair. The mask’s eyeholes are above the painted eyes, and just below the eyebrows. A very handsome shepherd indeed.

Moira Ernst

1998 30” long x 22½” wide (painting size) Artist: Leslie Ngaboy, Kunwinjku tribe, Alice Springs, Northern Territory Material: natural ochres on heavy-duty, handmade, Arches Rives paper with brushes made from twigs and human hair Depicts Kolobbarr, “The Male Kangaroo of the Dreamtime.” According to the story, Yirrbarbard killed his wife and mother-in-law and decided to celebrate with a secret ceremony. He appointed Karurrken, a female plains kangaroo, as chief caller of the sacred chants. Her husband Kolobbarr was to stay at camp and lead a group in drowning out the sacred chants. Kolobbarr decided his wife wasn’t making the calls loud enough, so he took over and relegated the women to look after novices and prepare food for the ceremony participants.
2017 43” x 33” Artists collective – The Ayllu and Textiles Sulca, Cusco, Peru Paracas culture was an Andean society (approximately 800‒100 BC) that made significant contributions in the textile arts. The technique used for the textiles is called wrap and wrapping and involves a piece of colored fleece woven around pieces of cotton wrap threads before the weaving process. This character has been interpreted as a shaman dancing or in a “shamanic flight.” It has also been interpreted as an ancestor embodied as a shaman or deceased person, based on its skull-face, prominent ribs, and deep chest wounds, all features associated with death. Material: cotton
2007 17” tall x 16” wide Artist: Narcisco Lucas de Ocumicho, Michoacan, Mexico Material: ceramic Mermaids (sirenas) are part of the music, art, and culture of Mexico. They are goddesses of the sea, not in the sense that they are religious deities or cultural gods, but in folkloric form.
1996 27” long x 7” wide Artist: Jerry Laktonen, Kodiak, Alaska Material: Douglas fir and acrylic paint Baidarkas from Kodiak were skin boats similar to kayaks that were used for hunting, fishing, and travel. They were propelled by single-bladed wooden paddles, the design of which allowed a kneeling paddler stealth ability when hunting, deep power paddling, and stabilization when spear throwing. Design is taken from ceremonial paddles of the Russian era and before.
Date unknown Large: 17” long x 9¼” wide Round: 4‒8” diameter Artists: Unknown Material: coconut, paint, twine, horsehair,clay, seed pods, acrylic paint Coconut shell masks originated in the 1950’s and are made by Nahuatl people from Guerrero, Mexico. They are made by splitting a coconut in half, hollowing out the center, and then embellishing it with “appendages” made from seedpods, corncobs and indigenous plant life. They are then painted with acrylic paints.
1999 3¼” tall x 1¾” wide Artist: Luis García Blanco, Santa María Atzompa, Oaxaca, Mexico Material: clay Luis Garcia Blanco is the son of Teodora Blanco, who created her own style of decorative ceramics. The traditional ceramic of Atzompa has a green glaze, but Blanco’s is natural beige and/or a reddish color from the clay. Her work is distinguished by female and fantasy figures profusely decorated with finely shaped bits of clay placed over the main body. Luis has preserved much of his mother’s style.
23¼ inches x 23¼ inches Artist: “ALP.” Nayarit, Mexico Material: yarn and beeswax On back of painting: PParto de la Mujer Huichola Cuando una mujer Huichola siente que ha llegado el momento de dar a luz, se retira legos de su casa (Fig. de la parte superior izquierda). Llebandose consigo a una amiga o pariente, que sea su propia hija si es que tiene la edad suficiente para ayudarla en su parto (Fig. Que se encuetra debajo de la casa). Ordinariamente se ban a la orilla del rio o a una barranca, escogindo un lugar apartado y escondido para no ser vistas por algun viajero. La madre de los dioses (Nakawe) es la diosa de la vida y la fertilidad (Fig. del extremo superior derecho). Translation: Part of the Huichola Woman When a Huichola woman feels that the time has come to give birth, she retreats from her home (top left). Taking a friend or relative with her, who is her own daughter if she is old enough to help her deliver (under the house). Ordinarily they went to the riverside or to a ravine, choosing a secluded and hidden place so as not to be seen by any traveler. The mother of the gods (Nakawe) is the goddess of life and fertility (upper right corner).
By Garifuna artist
2002 10½” diameter Artist: Eric Tetpon, Sr., Inupiat, Shaktoolik, Alaska Material: ivory and painted wood The walrus draws air into its gullet, then drums on it with a flipper to communicate with the other walrus. When the loon hears the beating, it knows there are fish nearby and flies to that area for feeding. Depicted are the walrus head, front and rear flippers, and tail, the loon, and drums of two villages.
By Garifuna artist Market Ladies, 2012 21½” long x 26¾” wide Artist: Lola, Placencia, Belize Material: Acrylic on canvas The Garifuna are the descendants from a mix of Amerindian Arawak and Carib or Kalinapo from the Kalinago and African people. They are also known as Garinagu, the plural of Garifuna.

Mariah Chase

This wonderful old toy was purchased at an estate sale a few years ago. She is supposed to flap her wings, roll along and lay her eggs as she goes. See Youtube link for her in action. Tin/plastic-5 1/2 x 7″
This wonderful old toy was purchased at an estate sale a few years ago. This is the original box. Cardboard 7 1/4″ x 6″
See the Youtube video below for information on the history of the daguerreotype. Curtesy of Eastman Kodak.
This beautiful lady was purchased on E-bay. When you hold the daguerreotype in your hands the detail is so amazing. Daguerreotype-3″ x 3 1/2″
One of my students brought this back from Japan for me. She had no information about what it was. 1 1/2″ tall.
I bought this in Berkley, California. I plan on completing the full skeleton one day. 3 3/4″ long

Elliott Oring

Kwakuitl
Artist-Tony Hunt Jr. (1961-2017) Cedar. 1977
Artist-Ross Hunt (born 1948). Member of the Fort Rupert band of the Kwagulth people. Cedar. 1977.
Artist-Floyd Joseph (born 1953). Squamish Band of Coast Salish Nation. 1977.
Artist-Gerry Sheena.
Artist-Gerry Sheena (born 1964). Member of the Salish Nation. He studied fine arts at the Emily Carr School and Langara Community College.

Geri-Ann Galanti

Replica from Northern Peru Clay 10″ x 6.5″
Hand carved by First Nations artist, Veronica Hackett Campbell River, BC 1992 Wood, raffia, feathers 12″ x 9″
Greater Nicoya, Pataky style reproduction Clay 7″ x 7″
Sepik River Region, Papua New Guinea 20th century Tortise shell, cowrie shells, raffia 14″ x 9″
San Blas Island, Kuna Textile 12″ x 17″

Sharon Sherman

These dolls were made for me by Zulay’s relatives in Quinchuqui, Ecuador, when we were shooting the film Whatever Happened to Zulay: An Otavaleña’s Journey. The dolls are wearing traditional Otavaleño clothing which many Otavalenõ people wear everyday.
Whole picture, plus close-up of centerpiece. Elvis was an icon from his first hit single, “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956, until his death in 1977. Elvis was often called the “King of Rock and Roll,” or “the King.” He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36. He appeared in numerous movies and also had movies made about him. He is the best-selling solo singer of all time, so it is no wonder that well-known “outsider” and “visionary” artist Howard Finster chose him as a subject and infused his portrait with religious symbols of angels. Finster saw visions from G-d and visions of other worlds and felt that Elvis was meant to be a minister of the gospel. With his reputation , he could have won souls. Finster said he sometimes could hear Elvis singing and see his smile. To Finster, people who have been dead, are there when the Holy Ghost is upon him.
Painting of farm life near Otavalo, Ecuador. Corn is the main crop in this region. Size 8 by 6 inches.
From street of potters in Slătioara, Romainia. 6″ diameter.
Triangles represent the trinity. Dots stand for madonna’s tears. Ida has always preferred traditional designs that she learned from her mother. Yellow represents wheat because wheat was life. With it, you can live.
Huichol yarn art often represents sacred objects. The back of this piece states, “Aqui vemos ofrendas dedicados al peyote, y todas estas ofrendas son llevados a su lugar sagrado, en Wirikuta.” By Teresa Renteria. English translation: “Here we see offerings dedicated to peyote, and all these offerings are taken to their sacred place, in Wirikuta.” The Huichol people live in the Sierra Madre in four states in Mexico: Jalisco, Nayarit, Durango, and Zacatecas. Often called “shamanistic art,” the yarn paintings may include feathered wands, peyote, snakes, the white-tailed deer, and other visionary objects seen on the artist’s vision quest taken when an initiate. The desert of Wirikuta is where the dawn first appeared and the world was created.
Alaskan treasure box. Anchorage. Created by Rose Albert, 1982 Iditarod finisher. First Alaska Native Woman to enter and finish the 1049 mile Iditarod. 11 inches long, by 8 inches wide, and 4 inches deep.

Tok Thompson

Jon Rose

Jeannie Banks Thomas

Kiln-formed glass plate made by my sister, Nancy Banks.
Pottery vase and kiln-formed glass made by my son, Rio, as a child.
Pottery plate and kiln-formed glass made by my daughter, Madison, as a child.
Descendants of asters grown in Colorado by my maternal grandfather, given to me by my mother, Dorothy Banks.
Pottery bowl made by my father, John Banks.
Pottery vase made by my father, John Banks.

Heather Joseph-Witham

During the cold war an artist named Waldemar ‘Major’ Fydrych decided to graffiti gnomes around town in Wroclaw, Poland as a part of the Orange alternative protest movement. He painted them orange as the Soviet color was red. Years later, when communism ended, the city government decided that the gnome should be its mascot and commissioned an artist named Thomas Moczek to create the first bronze gnome. I visited Moczek in his studio home where he still creates the ludic 1 foot tall creatures, although he bemoans the fact that many gnomes now show up randomly, not commissioned nor accounted for officially by the city. When you visit Wroclaw, you will see gnomes eating ice cream, going to the bank, playing instruments, lighting lanterns – it’s pretty amazing. While most are near the city center it’s possible to stumble across one almost anywhere.
I teach a Vampire lit and lore course every fall. It’s quite possibly the most fun class with the craziest discussions and ridiculous amounts of laughter that has ever existed. Someone, some years ago, who’s name I don’t recall, painted this piece as part of a paper/project assignment. It has lived in my office for a while because it is fabulous but my husband might shriek if I bring it home. We discuss a lot of legendary bloodsuckers from a variety of folk traditions. Some creatures like breast milk, others semen or blood – and this student equated the vamp and the gnome. I mean, wee folk who run around after dark doing who knows what? This works for me.
I have zombie gnomes in my front garden. I bought some at a 99 cent store and others at a Halloween popup store and they are made out of cheap plastic and are incredibly ugly. One of them disappeared for a while but reappeared on the same day that someone left 6 empty bottles of Corona beer on the sidewalk in front of my house. Zombies are scary; they bite you and spread disease although when in miniature, they are gross but funny. A friend gave me a hysterical book – it’s called How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack by Chuck Sambuchino. Aside from the most excellent level of kitsch here, why connect a gnome to horror anyway? The front cover declares, “Benign appearance belies murderous intent”. The book also explains that before they attack, they participate in a pre-attack investigation called “probing” (11). Probing! That word is frequently used in order to explain what the grays do to people they have kidnapped. While the gnomes seem to be just hanging out and minding their yard business and the aliens are using surgical instruments, I think the result is ultimately the same – that we have a cultural fear of small, smart, potentially supernatural beings, which are substitutes for children/babies (think Chucky or even Gremlins) and have evil intent. Beware the gnomes.
Far off the beaten path, in Holsworthy, County Devon, there is a peaceful space that captures the whimsical spirit of the English countryside. I went on my visit to the Gnome Reserve with scant expectations as the website about it offered few pictures and the place was far far away from where I was staying in Derbyshire. The Reserve was a wonderful surprise. What I found was a place that encompassed folk artistry, tourism and spirituality and was a space rife with repeat visitors who came for purposes of nostalgia and memory and participation in an imagined world. The Gnome Reserve was created initially by Anne Atkin, who is also an artist as well as proprietor of the Reserve, keeper of the Gnome Museum and shop at the Reserve and creator of pixies and gnome paintings. She established the Reserve on a 4 acre site that overflows with wildflowers and birds in the summertime. Visitors may come from the end of March through October and after paying about $5.00 are invited to put a gnome hat on and explore. Most people I saw chose hats that matched their outfits. Visitors are then allowed to wander freely along pathways, around a pond, through arbors and flowers and trees. Sprinkled throughout the reserve are more than 2000 gnomes. They may be solitary but most likely are featured in group scenes. They play chess, feast together, fish, attend festivals and generally enjoy the good life.
Philip Griebel started a garden gnome manufactory in the lovely village of Grafenroda, Germany in 1874. The small factory still exists and now also houses a museum. I visited Philip’s great grandson, Reinhard who still makes the gnomes the same way they were made in the past – he uses terra cotta as the material, puts it into handmade molds and then cuts the pieces with a knife. Sponges and water are used to smooth the edges and the terra cotta is air dried. They cost quite a bit more than the mass manufactured ones made in Poland and China. But, what personality they have!
I purchased this fellow at Target. I couldn’t resist him as he is one of the few non-white gnomes I’ve seen. It seems likely that the famous 1976 Dutch book Gnomes, by Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet has become so iconic that gnome manufacturers only view them as looking rather white. On the other hand, there may be concern that creating gnomes of various ethnicities may be viewed as non-traditional or perhaps patronizing. In any case, as a non-human, fantasy creature, I’m fairly certain gnomes can evolve into whatever we want or need them to be. I’m hoping that gnomes become more diverse in terms of gender and ethnicity. After all, they do reflect us or at least our tastes, our fears, our senses of humor. The reflection may as well be more or less accurate – zombie gnomes excluded of course.
These gnomes are clearly the most fabulous gnomes in the known galaxy! They were gifted to me by my sister. I have other theme gnomes, a namaste one, a couple of ninja gnomes, and a skeleton Dia de los Muertos gnome. All of them were gifts and all say more to me about the givers than about me (I don’t do yoga). Gnome gifting makes everybody laugh. It’s a joy to shop for them, to open them, to place them somewhere semi-public and even more fun to imagine people walking by and taking them in. Those of us with gnomey lawns sometimes feel like we are giving our neighborhoods a bit of a gift – that of fun, laughter and even attention. These gnomes, however, are somewhat precious to me and are therefore in the backyard. I don’t want them gnomenapped. Last year, we went into the garden to have coffee and discovered about a dozen gnomes had been beheaded or injured. It appeared there had been an overnight backyard gnome war. My son blamed the raccoons, I still think it may have been Worf, son of Mogh.

Bill Ellis

“Holo Strokes Her Beloved Tail,” from Ōkami to Kōshinryō [Spice and Wolf] (2008), Episode 2, cut 239. http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=339177
“Father Trout and Wave Lad Prepare to Battle the Sea Wraiths,” from Gegege no Kitaro 5th Series, Episode 92 (2009).
“The Cherry Tree in Whose Shade the Daybreak Snake Hides,” from Mushishi, Episode 16, cut 156 (2006).
“The Storyteller Drosselmeyer Mocks One of His Characters,” from Princess Tutu, Episode 25 (2003). http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=268246
“The Prince Vows to Awaken Sleeping Beauty,” from Cardcaptor Sakura, Episode 42 (1999). http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=16088
“Bluebeard’s Wife Tries to Wipe the Blood off the Key to the Forbidden Chamber,” from Gurimu Meisaku Gekijō [Grimm Masterpiece Theater], Episode 16 (1988). http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=268152
“Nils Holgersson Riding on the Back of Mårten,” from Nirusu no Fushigi na Tabi [The Wonderful Adventures of Nils] (1980-81). http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=416247
“The Adventurers Set Forth in Search of the Blue Bird of Happiness,” from Maeterlinck no Aoi Tori: Tyltyl Mytyl no Bōken Ryokō [Maeterlinck’s Blue Bird: Tyltyl and Mytyl’s Adventurous Journey], Opening Animation (1980). http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=329543
“Pippi Carries Her Horse into Villa Villekulla,” a photographic slide of a test cell for Nagakutsushita no Pippi, Sekai ichi tsuyoi onna no ko [Pippi Longstocking, Strongest Girl In The World] (1971). http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=333929
“The Princess Meets the Tinder-box Soldier,” from Andersen Monogatari: [The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen], Episode 17 (1971). http://sensei.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=376328

Joseph Sciorra

Ming Liang Lu, Paper Cut Portrait of Joseph Sciorra, 2010, paper 3¾” square
Italian Souvenir, c. 1957 6” by 6”
Anonymous, “Tramp Art” Frame with Photograph, date unknown, wood, metal rings, nails, cardboard 8” by 5 ¾”
Miscellaneous Cheese and Salt & Pepper Shakers, 1950s, ceramic, cork stoppers, metal, paint Varying dimensions from 6” (tallest) to 3¼” (shortest), not including monkeys
Vincenzo Ancona, Basket, 1985, olive branches 19” round
Natale Rotondi, Nightmare, 1976, oil on canvas 18” by 24” (unframed)
M.A. Murray, Madonna and Naval Ship Painting, c. 1952, oil and acyclic on canvas board 15” by 20” (unframed)
Yow Tuan, Altar Cloth, 1990, ink and magic marker on cloth 19” by 15¼” (unframed)
Anonymous, Madonna and Child Painted Tablet, 2004, wood, acrylic paint, shellac 17” by 13¾”
Anonymous, Embroidered Cloth, c. 1940, cloth, thread, paper holy card 28” by 20” (unframed)
Anonymous, Home Shrine, c. 1939, wood, plastic beads, nails, plaster statue 15” by 10” by 8”

Laura Ruberto

Silhouette portrait sculpture. Made by Romano Gabriel (1887-1977). Recast fruit crate wooden boxes, nails, fabric, and paint. Measures 10” by 4.5”; base 4.5” by 4.5”. Made between 1945 and 1977. Photo by Dante Goldstein Ruberto.
Fishing tableau. Built by Daniel Goldstein (1910-2006). Drift wood, balsa wood, string, tin bell, paint. Stand measures 12” by 22.5”; structure measures 11” high. Made in the 1980s. Photo by Dante Goldstein Ruberto.
Italian embroidered pajama-carrier. Cotton needlework, intaglio stitch, floral and butterfly design. Measures 19” by 14”. Estimated to have been made in the early twentieth century. Photo by Dante Goldstein Ruberto.
Italian prisoner of war picture frame, with heart-shaped openings and stand. Metal engraved. Measures 7.5” by 4.5”. Dated October 14, 1943. Photo by Dante Goldstein Ruberto.
Engraved ring box. Silver, blue enamel, lined in red silk. Signed: Lacloche Freres Paris Londres. Measures 4.5cm diameter by 2cm high. Dated September 5, 1915. Photo by Dante Goldstein Ruberto.
Copies of  Diabolik, personal collection. Published in Milan, Italy, from 1969 to 1996 (including reprints). Photo by Dante Goldstein Ruberto.
Underground Garden espresso cup and saucer chinaware, hand-painted on factory-made cup and saucer. Cup 4.5cm high, 4.5cm diameter, saucer 9.5cm diameter. Date unknown. Photo by Dante Goldstein Ruberto.

Elinor Levy

Nancy Wolfe

James (Jim) R. Dow, Ph.D.

Peter Harle

Commemorative Ultimate flying disc with creatures from Philippine folklore. From a 2005 competition in Manila. Plastic with stamped foil decoration. 10.8” diameter.
Purchased at a flea market in Brown County, Indiana in 1993. Probably made early-mid 20th Century in Indiana or Kentucky. Unknown wood, bark strips, paint. 34.25” x 17.75” x 14”
1790 Connecticut reprint, originally printed in South Carolina. Paper and thread. 6” x 3.75”.
Purchased new in 2018 at a religious goods stall in St. Paul, Minnesota’s Hmongtown Marketplace. Most likely manufactured in China. Paper with transparent plastic wrapping. 10”x10”x1.5”.
Leather amulet. Purchased in the old city market of Kano, Nigeria in 1990. Leather, thread, braided cord, wooden bead, unknown internal materials. Cord: 28”, outer bundles 1.5” x 1” x .25”, middle bundle .75” x 1.5” x .5”
Produced in 1967 by Transogram. Paper, luminous plastic, steel ball. 16” x 27” x 4”
Science and Invention magazine, May 1924. Published in New York City by Hugo Gernsback. 8.5” x 11.75”
Purchased in Oshogbo, Nigeria in 1990. Most likely created in the Ibadan area in early-mid 20th Century. Cotton with cassava-resist indigo dye. 76”x 67”.

Judith McNeill and David Welch

Charlie Seeman

Lisa Falk

Ysamur Flores-Peña, Ph.D.

Simon Bronner, Ph.D.

Patricia Turner

9″x 8″ unknown date/artist- soapstone sculpture from Kenya.
Metal sculpture (21″ x 36″ circa 2009). Based in the Suisun Valley of California, Philip Glashoff specializes in using discarded farm materials for his whimsical sculptures.
Circa 2010 16″ by 11.5″ An example in the Mapula embroidery tradition of South Africa by Doris Hatswayo. For more information on this textile tradition, see Schmahmann, Brenda M. Mapula: Embroidery and Empowerment in the Winterveld.
Sea Grass Basket, 8″ x 12″ circa 2013/unknown artist.

B.D. Love & Maura Kennedy

I bought this odd and wonderful piece at the New Bedford Summerfest, later renamed the New Bedford Folk Fest in New Bedford, MA in the early 2000s. There used to be a guy with a booth there, and he created these unique pieces celebrating pop culture icons. I bought a piece from him every year (Bob Dylan, John Lennon, two Johnny Cash) for several years running, and then, one year, he was gone. I always figured he got busted for unauthorized use of celebrity images. This piece is made by a couple rough chunks from 2 x 4s or pieces of a railroad tie, which is totally appropriate (“I hear that train a-comin’…) Johnny Cash’s portrait is similar but not exactly the same as the portrait inside the art guitar, above. There are small magazine cutouts of Johnny glued to the base, and tin Shiner Bock bottle caps nailed and screwed to the top. The piece is as rough and real as the man it celebrates.