Guest Curator Archive

Don Cosentino with Edner Pierre, Oungan of La Reine de Sodo Temple, Port au Prince, Haiti, ca 2008. Photo Credit: Katherine Smith.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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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

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.

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″

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.

Ukrainian Easer egg by Ida Moffat, Springfield, Oregon

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.

Huichol bead art of a snake, a sacred object

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.

6. Inuit Polar Bears (by R.K.S. Wales, Alaska)

3. Bronze Cat figurine: 19th century France (?)

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Double Piston, Three Neck, Wheeling Violin, Broken Hill, 1984.

Dr. Rosenburg's WUNDERKAMMER @ Delmar Gallery

Automatic Violin Installation, The Agony and The Ecstasy, Berlin, 1989.

Violin with Dowel and Spring Resoantors (back plate not shown), Saint Sebastian, Sydney, 1982 English Translation (approximately): ‘I was alive and growing in the forest, yet in death I continue to sing sweetly.’

Five String Trapezoidal Viola, Sydney, 1981.

Eight String Double Neck Violin ( with bandage), ‘Let’s Mutate’ Sydney, 1979.

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.

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.

“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

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”

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.

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”.

Storyboard; Republic of Palau Wood, 32" x 12.5", purchased new 1990.

Small plates; Kyushu, Japan Glazed porcelain, 6" diameter, purchased new 2008.

Shi sha; Okinawa, Japan Glazed stoneware, 6" x 6", purchased new 2006.

Wayang golek puppets; Java, Indonesia Wood, paint, cotton fabric, female is 24" tall, the male is 26", purchased used 2015 (age >60 years).

Malay fishing boat model; Southern (peninsular) Thailand Wood and paint, 21" long x 15" tall to top of mast, commissioned 1986.

Kinetic Metal Oarsman in Boat-Unknown maker California 1999

Cat Salt Shakers-Ceramic By Solveig Cox Alexandria, VA. c.1980s.

Virgin of Guadalupe-By Pete Tafoya Taos, NM May 1992

Alligator Clock-By Libby Hodges Purchased in Miami, FL., 1998.

Tohono O'odham Basket and Shell Necklaces-By Christine Johnson, No:liwk, AZ., c. 2006.

Friendship Pot-By the Angela family, Tohono O’odham Nation, southern Arizona, c. 2010.

Chiltepin Grinder-Unknown Maker, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, 2014.

Imagination Chickens-By Marvin Finn Louisville, KY 1983/1984

Chinese Dragons-Maker Unknown, China, 2010.

Bear Claw Pot-By Clara Stone, Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, 1995.

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.

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.

I bought this piece for ten dollars at a yard sale in Atwater Village, CA in 2016. The couple who sold this to me told me they had bought it in a raffle (or auction…I can’t remember which) for a substantially higher price at a festival in Telluride Colorado. I don’t know the year. All I know is that Johnny Cash’s pensive songwriting face is enshrined inside the sound hole, and the lyrics to his “I Still Miss Someone” (co-written by Johnny Cash and his nephew Roy Cash JR) are reprinted across the body. While this piece is not signed, the artist explains the imagery in a note pasted on the back which reads, “THEY HAVE $$$ BUT THEY DON’T HAVE CASH – The song written is “I Still Miss Someone from Mr. Johnny Cash. I feel the sheriff badges sum up his time on top, the dog bones sum up his low down ways, and the dice, a roll of what kind of man he was that day. The title is a line from a Darrell Scott song.”

I bought this from a man selling his homemade dreamcatchers out of the trunk of his car on the perimeter of the Colorscape Chenango art fair in upstate NY. He said he couldn’t afford the booth fee, so he was going rogue. If the cops saw him, he could slam his trunk shut and speed away. I bought two of them. He told me he used all items from upstate NY, including the grapevine, the feathers that he found near his home, and the Herkimer diamond quartz. I remember then asking him for a card but he said he didn’t want to be identified so he wouldn’t get fined!

I worked for a long while in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, on the River. FoLAR (Friends of the LA River) organized a May cleanup event, and I loved the River deeply — I walked my dogs along it, though at the time any access was illegal. I organized the local September cleanup event on my own. We always had a good crowd. All, technically, illegals. We found many things odd, some rather disgusting, but we all filled our bags and the city cooperated by carting them off, though, again, it was not a sanctioned activity. While I was down at the edge of the River, watching the crawdads hoist their claws at my dogs, I’d always come across bones, mostly raccoon and ‘possum, by my reckoning. I gathered up many, cleaned them using the ant method (leave them outside and the ants will strip the nasty stuff away). I have loved bolo ties for many years. A new shop opened on the Boulevard, Memphis George. She did jewelry, all original designs, so I gave her a jawbone fragment from a ‘possum and asked her to turn it into a bolo. It took longer than expected, cost more than expected, but it’s a one of a kind work of art. I only wear it on exceptional occasions. [Notice the eyes etched into the inside of each bolo tip claw (inset)]

This is a painting in watercolor and ink by a boy named Jeff Leeah. Jeff was a scandal at Southern Methodist University, where I met him. He was openly gay — In Dallas, in the early Seventies. He painted his face, and later mine, in garish designs that kind of remind me of Day of the Dead masks. We were twin outcasts, one straight, one gay, both openly creative and unashamed of it. We finally gathered, maybe, five fellows on a campus of ten thousand or more. Jeff could do anything. He drew and painted, improvised classical quality works on the school’s pianos (which the traditional music students ridiculed in terror, as they knew they’d never have his talent), and he wrote poetry that regularly eclipsed mine in the school literary magazine awards. Jeff died of complications from testicular cancer in 1976. When I left Dallas for Syracuse University the year before his diagnosis, he gave me this work. As far as I know, only his love, Matt Osterberg, possesses any of Jeff’s visual artwork. He left very few objects of art, and we are all the poorer for that.

Chetezo: (2017) Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania. Artisan Unknown. fired clay, shown with udi(aloeswood), ubani (frankincense) and uvumba resin. 5 1/2 x 6 1/2

La Huesuda–Santa Muerte Statuette (Early 2000s) Los Angeles, California. Artist Unknown. (Resin, paper, mirrors, wood, paste gems, beads, twine, metal charms, rice, seeds, rose petals)(12 x 5 x 4)

Composition with Cross and Skull (2012) New Orleans, Louisiana. Jack Wittenbrink. Recycled Roofing Tin. (10 x 7)

White Buffalo Practice Patch (early to mid- 1990s) New Orleans, Louisiana. Artist Unknown. Canvas, thread, beads. (10͟ x 11͟)

New Orleans, March 18 2012) Wild Man of the Comanche Hunters suits up and greets the day on Super Sunday.

Makonde Shetani Sculpture (2016). Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Africa. Artist Unknown. Ebony. (21 ½ ͟x 4.5 x 5͟)

I inherited these from my father, Tom Noonan, who worked in the music business, and who collected music business memoribilia. He had a large Nipper (about 3 or 4 feet high, which now belongs to my nephew), a smaller one (about 10″, which I have), and this salt and pepper shaker set.

I purchased this on ebay, when we were compiling artifacts for a proposed exhibit of the visionary art of Edith Tenbrink, whose work and whose spiritual order was influenced by Freemasonry.

This version of a Russian matryoshka nesting doll was purchased in Moscow, when I traveled there for a presentation in 2010. The innermost doll is a Christ child, appropriately nestled within the body of the larger dolls with the Virgin Mary on them. The larger two dolls have different icons of the Virgin on them. As I was shopping in a market, browsing various matryoshka dolls (including one with the 4 Beatles, one with various Russian and U.S. leaders, and one, which I gave to my sister, which had versions of Michael Jackson on each doll), the man who owned the stall heard me coughing. He urged me to buy this doll, since, he told me, “She is good for [cough, cough],” and patted his chest.

This combination of Old World Evil Eye blue beads and a modern Goddess spirituality figure (with raised arms, breasts and a spiral on the belly) shows both the adaptation of an old form to a new belief system, and the borrowing (and/or appropriation?) of old folk magical practices by the modern Pagan or New Age spirituality movements.

When I was in China in June of 2009, on a CIEE tour “Ethnic Minorities of Southwest China,” our tour guide brought us to his research site, a village of the Tungpu people, who are trying to gain official recognition as a minority nationality (minzu). They performed for us what the government calls dixi, or “local opera,” but what the Tungpu people call “dancing the gods.” These masks are worn by performers on the forehead; under them, they wear a rolled towel, and a black face veil, so the mask sits on the upper part of the head, and the performer can see through the face veil. The performers were traditionally male, but when I saw them, there were a few women also performing. I bought this mask, which, although it was not used in the performance I saw, is a type of mask used in such performances.

I wore with a black peignor in my French act.

Part of the gypsy act costume.

Worn by European dancers instead of a g-string. It is held on by tape and hurts like hell to take off if you have any pubic hair.

About 3″ x 4″ Used in the French act

Three rings worn on stage in many acts. The large stones are green African amythyst, purple amythyst, and bright orange topaz.

It really needs a model to do it justice but I couldn’t get a size 8 model. I wore it to gogo dance when I returned to the US and didn’t know what to do with myself.

They fit over the g-string.

Carved angel by Sabanita Lopez Ortiz, Cordova, New Mexico. Purchased by collector 2014.

Assemblage: St. Joseph the Carpenter by Chris Radus, from a series entitled “Working Class Saints.” Niche is an upended aged wooden tool carrier representing a carpenter’s workshop, with worktable, coffee cup, basket for shavings, and sign “Joe + Son Woodworks . Saint is an embellished GI Joe wearing jeans, leather work-apron and hair-protecting bandanna. Halo is a radial-saw blade. Gift to the collector, 2014.

Decorative bottle-tree created by artist Chris Radus, inspired by traditional Southern yard-art.

1968 Gibson J-50 formerly belonging to National Heritage Fellowship awardee Eddie Pennington, along with carved cedar walking-stick with head depicting stylized Erika Brady and carved inscription on the shaft. Gifts of Eddie Pennington honoring our long and blessed friendship.

Repurposed water bottle created as memorial tribute to immigrants lost in the desert crossing to the border. From a series produced by the aid group Los Samaritanos. Items attached to the bottle include found objects from the trail and others, including an earring, Mexican currency, a plastic calaveras, milagros, statements of protest, a painted image of OL of Guadalupe. Surmounted by a small glow-in-the-dark plastic figure of the of the Blessed Mother. Gift from artist Juanito Jiménez, New Mexico, 2014.

Painting by Terry Gaskins, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. 2016.

Beaded and sequined portrait of the Vodou divinity Ezili Danto envisioned as the Black Madonna ofCzęstochowa, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, ca. 2011.

Votive-inspired painting by David Mecalco, Mexico City, Mexico, ca. 2013.

Snake Handler painting with biblical verse by Bryan Cunningham, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 2016.

Painted calabash with popular biblical verse, St. George’s, Grenada, ca. 2013.

Lydia’s upcoming children’s book “My life is in the Toilet” focuses on the plight of species like the green tree frog which is often forced to find rather unusual alternative accommodation after water mismanagement, pollution and habitat loss have left it with nowhere else to go. By utilising photography in new and ingenious ways, merging science and art, capitalising on the universal appeal of adorable amphibians and incorporating terrific ‘toilet humour’, Lydia hopes to inspire the next generation about the need to protect precious wetland habitat and encourage direct engagement with the environment.

It was once a common species, but serious declines have occurred in sections of the range (Mahony 1999). Ehmann and White (1997) noted that in New South Wales the species had disappeared from sites in the central and southern highlands. It is currently widespread throughout the Murray River valley but has disappeared from a number of sites along the Murrumbidgee River (Mahony 1999) and there are no recent records from the Monaro District near the Victorian border (G. Gillespie pers. comm.). It persists in isolated populations in the greater Melbourne area, and isolated populations are known from a few sites in central Victoria and Gippsland. A similar decline has been noted in Tasmania, and it is now almost absent from the midlands of Tasmania. In New Zealand, where the species is introduced, there are many thousands, although local declines due to chytridiomycosis and/or introduced Gambusia fish have been observed (Source http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/12152/0).

Differing in appearance only slightly from the corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree), the northern corroboree frog has the same distinctive bright yellow and black striped back. However, the stripes are a greener shade of yellow and are also a little narrower. The underside has white, black and yellow-green blotches. Females are larger than males and, unusually, neither sex has webbed toes. In some areas, ‘corroboree’ is an aboriginal word for a gathering or meeting – where traditionally the attendees are adorned with yellow markings not unlike those of this rare frog. (Source http://www.arkive.org/northern-corroboree-frog/pseudophryne-pengilleyi/).

The Red-crowned Toadlet is facing ever increasing threats, but thanks to some dedicated volunteers, help is on the way. Restricted exclusively to sandstone areas around Sydney, the toadlets’ home has been impacted by habitat loss due to sandstone harvesting for garden landscaping as well as pollution, disease and changed fire regimes. The 3cm-long red-crowned toadlet is listed as vulnerable by the New South Wales State Government and already some local populations of the frog have become extinct. Professor Michael Mahoney from the school of environmental and life sciences at Newcastle University believes that human interaction is the biggest threat to the species. “Mostly human impacts affect their habitat,” he says. “Unfortunately, habitat of the red-crowned toadlet overlaps with urban development on the sandstone ridges of the Sydney basin.” (Source http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/ag-society/2013/01/toadlet-in-trouble).

Consider what it might be like to drink the urine of one particular species of amphibian, which could literally save your life! It was a common practice for Aborigines to squeeze the water out of a frog and drink it. In the words of Waite (1929), “water may be obtained by squeezing the body of the frog, and the Australian native will win through where unattended white men would perish of thirst” (Bayly 1999, p. 23). Here the amphibian being referenced is Cyclorama platycephala, otherwise referred to as the Water-holding Frog, or Tiddalik, a character from the Dreaming stories, told by Australian Aborigines about the history of their country. This species, indigenous to central Australia, has evolved a unique method of surviving in an environment which might not seem particularly suited to frogs. The Water-holding Frog evolved the process of drinking and absorbing water through its skin until its body became a store of water (Bayly 1999, p. 23; Springer & Holley 2013, p. 393). The story of Tiddalik is the stuff of legend and as an enduring story of the Dreamtime it has been translated into many modern children’s books the world over.

China-Painted wood and horse hair braids-2007

Northern Mexico-Paper-2007

Berlin-1994

Upstate New York-1940s

Peru-1975

Berlin-1994

The Mercy Brown exhumation, which took place on 17 March 1892, in Exeter, Rhode Island, followed the typical pattern: her heart and liver were excised and burned to ashes, which were to be ingested by, Edwin, her dying brother. Edwin died shortly after, but Mercy’s sisters lived on for years. The exhumation of Mercy Brown, and her mother and sister, is by far the most well-known vampire narrative in America. Her story appears in every possible medium, from spoken, written, and printed, to film, video, and the Internet (a search of which yields millions of pages for Mercy Brown). Although her plight is well-documented, and most of the facts surrounding her exhumation are fixed in reliable sources, she and her story have been expanded, compressed, twisted, and pulled into every vampire shape imaginable. The oral narrative of Mercy Brown in its earliest stage of development, however, remains the family narrative that arose soon after her corpse was dissected; it has circulated, in conjunction with parallel community narratives, for more than a hundred years.

Augmenting the eye-witness accounts of vampire activity in New England is a startling case of actual physical evidence. In 1990, Connecticut State Archaeologist, Nick Bellantoni, excavated an unmarked family cemetery, in use from 1757 to about 1830, in the town of Griswold. One of the twenty-nine human remains unearthed in the cemetery, Burial 4, was so extraordinary that it was sent to the Museum of Health and Science for analysis by Paul Sledzik, a forensic anthropologist. The complete skeleton of a man, the best preserved of the cemetery, had been buried in a crypt with stone slabs lining the sides and top of the coffin. The community apparently wanted him to stay put! Bellantoni had never seen anything like it. He said, “It looks like this guy was buried long enough to decompose, dug up, some of his parts were rearranged . . . and then he was buried again.” On the lid of the hexagonal, wooden coffin, an arrangement of brass tacks spelled out “JB-55,” presumably the initials and age at death of this individual. When the grave was opened, J.B.’s skull and thigh bones were found in a kind of “skull and crossbones” pattern on top of his ribs and vertebrae, which were also rearranged. Later analysis by Sledzik revealed that J.B.’s ribs contained lesions (or scars) that indicated he had a chronic pulmonary infection, likely tuberculosis. The following scenario is perhaps the most plausible: As a last resort—to spare the lives of the family and stop consumption from spreading into the community—J.B.’s body was exhumed so that his heart (or his entire corpse) could be burned. When his body was unearthed, however, J.B. was found to be in an advanced stage of decomposition. Perhaps his ribs and vertebrae were in disarray as a result of a search for the remains of his heart. Finding no heart—and with no flesh to burn—J.B.’s skull and thigh bones were rearranged, a practice that has precedent in Europe, including Great Britain. Using his J.B.’s skull as a base model, forensic artist Sharon Long created a reconstruction of his face. You may be staring into the face of one of America’s authentic vampires.

More compelling than Mercy’s story, however, is the first-person account of the Reverend Justus Forward (1730-1814), Congregational Minister of Belchertown, Massachusetts for more than fifty-eight years. In a letter to a friend, Forward wrote about embarking on a trip with his daughter, Mercy (not an uncommon name back then), to a nearby town. He describes how she began to hemorrhage, which causes him great concern, especially in light of the fact that three of his daughters had already died of consumption and two others, including Mercy, were ill. He writes: “I had consulted many about opening the graves of some of the deceased, to see whether there were any signs of the dead preying on the living; and though many advised to it, and most thought it awful, yet Dr. Williams . . . and some others spoke in such a manner about it, that some of the family were not soon reconciled to it. However, they consented.” Forward goes on to describe how, on the previous Friday, the grave of his mother-in-law was opened. “She had been buried almost three years,” he writes, and she was “wasted away to a mere skeleton. . . . It was suggested that perhaps she was not the right person.” So she was reburied. Forward continues, “Since I had begun to search, I concluded to search further, and this morning opened the grave of my daughter [Martha Forward Dwight] . . . who had died—the last of my three daughters—almost six years ago. . . . On opening the body, the lungs were not dissolved, but had blood in them. . . . The lungs did not appear as we would suppose they would in a body just dead, but far nearer a state of soundness than could be expected. The liver, I am told, was as sound as the lungs. We put the lungs and liver in a separate box, and buried it in the same grave, ten inches or a foot, above the coffin.” (This variant of the ritual is unique, as far as I know.) Alas, Mercy was not spared, but Forward’s other three children survived the consumption epidemic.

Vampire incidents seem to have been almost commonplace among some New England communities. Popular authors wrote about it. A town council in Rhode Island voted to allow a man to exhume his daughter’s corpse. Half the population of a Vermont town turned out to witness an exhumation and heart-burning. To these very public renditions of the consumption ritual, we can add a newspaper notice inviting “all interested” to a family’s exhumation. Under the heading, “Bodies to be Exhumed,” the Montrose Democrat twice published the following paid announcement: “The subscriber being the only survivor of a large family of brothers and sisters, all of whom have died of that dread disease, consumption, and whose children are following them by the same disease, had consented that the bodies of some of the first who died may be exhumed to satisfy the belief entertained that it will arrest the further progress of the disease, which is destroying the remaining survivors. The exhumation will take place on Saturday, April 29th, at 10 o’clock A. M., at the burying ground on David Whitney’s land, in Lenox township, this county. This notice is given that all interested may be present. WM. B.. TOURJE Harford, April 10, 1871” William Tourje was sixty-four years of age when the notice was published. Although this event took place in northeastern Pennsylvania, the federal census of 1850 shows that William and his brother, Jonathan, were born in Rhode Island. Between 1817 and 1819, the family relocated from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania. Five weeks after the exhumation, the same newspaper published a letter, submitted by an anonymous “spectator,” describing the ritual in detail. He wrote that “probably a hundred” people attended, including two physicians. On opening the third grave, “behold! a vine was found!! the flesh was all decayed, but everything else remained as when placed in the ground, as near as could be expected; the silk dress and a bosom pin, in which the deceased was buried remaining entire. The vine found, was taken out,” and inspected by the physicians. The spectator’s concluding remarks highlight the desperate situation that led many families to the consumption ritual: “Further investigations were made, but I understand that there is some talk of taking up the wife of Mr. Snyder, the last one buried.—There is in all, of the family, 13 in number, children and grand-children, buried in this year, and one buried in the burying ground at the Baptist church near Elder Tower’s, and all but one at least, have died of consumption, the youngest being a grand-child only three years of age, and only one of eight children now living.”

These vampire incidents (or folk medical practices, or consumption rituals) did not go unnoticed by the literati. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) recorded in his journal, dated 26 September 1859, the following entry: “I have just read of a family in Vermont who, several of the members having died of consumption, just burned the lungs, heart and liver of the last deceased, in order to prevent any more from having it.” Thoreau probably was referring to a case from Winhall, Vermont. The text, which appeared in at least ten newspapers, dated from the 20th to the 29th of September 1859, closely matches Thoreau’s: “A Mrs. Prescott Lawrence, of Winhall, Vt., died a few days since of consumption, and as a member of the family had previously died of the same disease, the family went through the superstitious farce of burning the lungs, heart and liver of the deceased to prevent any more from dying of the same disease.” Thoreau’s interest in this event surely was more than just morbid curiosity. At the time of this entry, he knew he had consumption, which caused his death three years later.

Patricia A. Atkinson has been the Folklife Program Coordinator for the Nevada Arts Council since 2007.

Tobey served as a master artist in the Nevada Arts Council’s Apprenticeship Program while in his late 90s and made pipes until he passed away just short of his 101st birthday.

Eagle-Lambert is a prolific weaver and creative beader. She received a Nevada Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in folk art.

Zetaruk was a master artist mentoring apprentices in the pysanky tradition well into her mid-90s.

Originally from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Southern Mexico, Siquenza brought his family’s textile traditions to Nevada.

McCuin is a native Nevadan and premiere Western engraver/jeweler.

Contains healing water from the shrine’s grotto-Lourdes, France-Christian

The “milagro,” miracle, is an offering placed near a statue of a Catholic saint for thanksgiving when a hand disorder is healed.

Small tablets used as a cathartic several generations ago. Purchased in an antique store in Boston, Massachusetts.

Prayer card illustrating the Statue of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ is Bacares near Almeria, Spain. The hair on the statue grows and is frequently cut. The strands are then given to people for healing.

Small metal “milagros”-examples of a leg, foot, hands, children, and an arm.

Mojo Painting by Dr. Bob

Bookcase Rocker by Cornett

Space Ship by Ionel

Bike Taxi Toy

Deep in the isolated Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica over Easter in 1998, I was staying at a scientific research station. The old-growth forest there is protected by the government, but the guards had gone home for the holiday. The sound of chainsaws came from different parts of the forest throughout the week and huge trucks hauled enormous trees out of the forest before the guards returned. A biologist told me that a family could live for a year for the price of one tree. One day I met a man selling a few wooden carvings, even this far off the beaten path of major tourism, he had found a market among visitors to the research station. I’m a bird nut and loved how easily I could spot gorgeous birds of all sizes in Costa Rica, including a couple of trogan species. This trogan came home with me. The artist penciled his name and the year on the bottom. I paid him $25, more than the $5 he was asking.

From the New Yorker, Nov. 8th, 1982.

Unlike the dots on faux folk art that I see in too many shops and galleries, the dots on the carved wooden chicken on the right fit in with many other pieces of artwork I saw in Guatemalan markets in 1993. I don’t know why dots were prevalent, but they were. I bought so many pieces in the Antigua market I bought a handmade cloth duffle bag to carry them home. This chicken, carver unknown, has a crack at the neck so was cheap even by this market’s standards, $5. I also bought a dotted mask and a dotted leopard from different vendors. Antigua is famous for tourism, which has fueled the market for many crafts. The carvers are not making these chickens for their homes but for tourists’ homes.

These very different birds come from rural areas of Central America, where I bought each of them. The bird on the left is a species of trogan, large, colorful birds of the tropics, bought in Costa Rica. The chicken came from Guatemala.

On a clear, cold Monday morning in February 1982, I stood on the courthouse square in Scottsboro, Alabama, interviewing traders who regularly sold goods at First Monday Trade Day. Once a raucous, sprawling event where people traded hounds, guns, and farm equipment, the affair had evolved into a flea market attended by tourists, tv crews from near and far, farmers from surrounding states, and locals. Only the older traders still showed up on Mondays, the big crowds came on the weekend. A red pickup truck suddenly pulled up. My folklorist’s heartbeat sped when I saw that the truck bed was filled with split white oak baskets. A woman hopped out, and I hurried to talk with her. She was on her way home to Woodbury, Tennessee, after delivering baskets to the Cherokee Museum in North Carolina. She explained that their shop sold them, with the implication they were Cherokee made. I didn’t yet know that Cannon County, Tennessee, was a hotbed of basket makers, but this woman, alas I have lost her name and address, told me she was a 7th-generation basket maker. A graduate student, I could only afford two, $15 each. Months later a quarter-page ad in the New Yorker caught my eye. Three split white oak baskets hovered above the text, “Deep in the Cherokee National Forest of Tennessee, skilled craftsmen have kept alive an art and a tradition.” Price for my basket in the New York City-based Anne Rothschild Country Collection: $68. Never mind these baskets were made by a woman from Middle Tennessee. I mailed a photocopy of the ad to the basket maker to let her know she could charge more next time. Extensive fieldwork by folklorists in Cannon County has since put the region on the map and ensured that basket makers can earn a fair price and show their work in galleries near and far.

A dear friend who knew of my interest in the sweetgrass baskets of Low Country South Carolina, spied the basket on the left at a yard sale in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2002. She got the impression that a young couple were selling some of their wedding gifts. She bought this basket for $10. It’s a double loop fruit basket that would have easily cost the giver a couple of hundred dollars. The history of tourism and sweetgrass baskets is long and complicated. The research of folklorists has helped make this a revered tradition that can sustain basket makers economically, put their work in fine art museums, and enrich understanding of this nation’s complex race relations history through material culture.

On the left is a Gullah sweetgrass basket, the only African basket type made in the U.S., and on the right a split white oak basket, common among Anglo basket makers in many parts of the U.S. Both types were working baskets in the 18th and 19th century and have evolved into collectibles that have found their way into scholarly publications and museums. I came by both baskets through serendipity.