 On Friday, May 25 we’ll be celebrating the opening of Garden of Grief, Rebecca Reeves’ new installation in our Little Free Library Gallery. Her ongoing themes of loss and mourning—intertwined with the compulsion to protect the relics left behind by the dead—resonate with me on a deeply personal level, and it’s such an honor to be hosting her work in our tiny gallery. Rebecca will be here in person to talk about her work, plus we’ll have two additional guests for a special “Porch Salon” conversation about grief as it relates to the themes of Rebecca’s art: Megan Devine, author of It’s OK That You’re Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture that Doesn’t Understand and Coleman Stevenson, creator of the Dark Exact Tarot and author of Breakfast: 43 Poems. Megan will be talking about the importance of sharing our stories of loss, and Coleman will be reading a poem inspired by Rebecca’s work. We hope you’ll join us from 7-9pm! Our Little Free Library Gallery may be found near 600 N. Mason St. in Portland, Oregon.  Garden of Grief: Work in progress by Rebecca Reeves.  LEPORIPHOBIA: Hutch of Darkness features art by the winners of our 2018 Diabolical Egg Hunt, based on drawing prompts found in each hidden “egg.” These new works by Hanna Morchant (“Rabbit death metal band,” Salt Lake City), Jess Swazey (“Vampire rabbit,” Salem, MA), Nicholas Cordel Orr (“Rabbit in mourning,” Portland), Trista Metz (“Rabbit seance,” Los Angeles), and Syd Bee (“Giant rabbit fighting a giant slug,” Seattle)—are on view through May 23 in our Little Free Library gallery in North Portland. Thank you to our coast-to-coast diabolical bunny helpers for making our first national egg hunt a success: Albatross Records, Black Veil Tattoo, The Mystic Museum, and Creatura House.  Hope Spirits by Rebecca Artemisa On November 9 in a post-election state of shock, I bought a teeny tiny geode and a zine and sat down with both of them in a favorite coffee shop, because I didn’t know what else to do. Together, they were a small but much-needed band-aid for a broken heart. And ever since, I’ve been carrying the zine - All of Them Brujas by Portland artist Rebecca Artemisa - as a talisman in my bag. Rebecca has conjured Hope Spirits, a magical new painting especially for the south-facing side of our Little Free Library. This mini-mural will be a beacon for visitors, and serve as a spell for all to find strength and power in the stories contained within the Library’s books. You can find more of Rebecca’s work in her Etsy shop, on Instagram, or, if you’re lucky enough to be in Portland, her zines can sometimes be found in the magical Venderia machines around town. On All Hallow’s Eve, intrepid visitors visited The Creeping Museum for bibliomancy readings with The Creeping Museum Oracle, channeled by Coleman Stevenson, creator of the Dark Exact Tarot, and Melissa Favara, curator of antique typewriters. Eerily relevant prophecies were summoned from the Beyond through random book passages, recorded on an antique typewriter, and placed in tiny manila envelopes for querents to bring home and contemplate. As with every other Creeping Museum endeavor, our Evening with the Oracle was an experiment (with more than a fair amount of anxiety and doubt on my part), and I am overflowing with gratitude for all the kindred spirits who are game for showing up (whether it be on Instagram or on my porch) and participating in our weird sh*t. The Creeping Museum loves you.
Beyond the Pale at The Creeping Museum Danielle Schlunegger-Warner’s Beyond the Pale installation opened in our Little Free Library gallery as a series of Category 5 hurricanes flooded cities and left a swath of destruction in their wakes. The miniature drowned world she created - a Victorian study filled with books, specimens, maps, and other tools used by humankind to make sense of the natural world, flooded and reclaimed by the sea - inspires both wonder and dread as it foreshadows a not-so-distant future. Repeat Creeping Museum visitors may recognize the tiny 1:12 scale replica of Danielle’s “Frozen Island” bell jar from our previous Ghost Stories exhibition. As part of the installation, Danielle curated a special selection of books for distribution in our Little Free Library. Each title echoes the themes of the miniature world she’s building in our gallery: Our ongoing struggle to understand and conquer the natural world, and the unfathomable changes that are coming within this lifetime. Beyond the Pale is on view in our tiny North Portland gallery (3 blocks east of the Q Center) through the end of October.
In the aftermath of the recent Trimet hate crime murders here in Portland, I felt the need to send a loud and clear message to the girls of my neighborhood, especially girls of color: You belong here. You are powerful. And you have your own magic. @lorinelsonart posted her 2015 painting “Hell to Pay” earlier this year as a call to arms to fight hate with art. The piece depicts exact sort of fiery heroine I was looking for to grace the walls of our Little Free Library box.  Visit http://www.lorinelson.com/ to see more of her evocative Cryptotweens series, which perfectly captures the monstrousness (and the wonder) of adolescence.
Not content to keep the art on the inside of the museum, I wanted to mount work on the outside for passers-by to enjoy. “Blessed Thistle” by Kathleen Lolley offers a magical symbol of protection and healing to library visitors. The Scotch thistle is associated with the Cross of Lorraine (emblem of Joan of Arc and the French Resistance) and is also the logo of the Encyclopædia Britannica.   |
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