Wednesday, MARCH 9
Maceli’s 1031 New Hampshire St.
Door: 7:00 pm Presentations start at 8:00 pm
$1.00 Cover
Drinks and a mini-menu available.
In March we are back at our regular location Maceli’s and humbly present to you, dear audience, a night of mortific magnificence. Our shuddersome theme for the evening is Death, or more precisely our topics will take a look at where our social norms come from concerning funeral rites, dress and exequies . Never fear, sweet friends, this night will be more anthropological than ghoulish. So put pallid hand in hand and take a grim walk with us to Marble Town.
NN47
Abra Macabre
TOPICS:
“Dead Man’s Party”
by Krys Arkeketa
“Grieving, the Right Way (?)”
by Abby Young
“The Mourning After: Death and Victorian Dress”
by Annette Becker
The Deathly Details:
“Dead Man’s Party”
by Krys Arkeketa
Death is inevitable; every single one of us will die one day. Are you prepared? Fear not if you are unsure! We will be exploring the taboo topic of death and what your options are. Topics that will be covered are:
1. A brief history of embalming and American death culture.
2. What are my options besides burial?
3. “Why can’t I have a viking funeral?” and other myths about death.
Biography
Krys Arkeketa is a mortuary student from the Lawrence, KS area. She began her mortuary journey in 2013 when she realized nursing school was not for her. Involved in oddities and rarities sale and trade, she preserves fetal animals, organs and wet specimens as her hobby and felt becoming a mortician was the next big step. She is Native American and her goal is to specialize in Native American funerals and post-mortem ceremonies.
“Grieving, the Right Way (?)”
by Abby Young
Societal treatment of grief is often one-size-fits all; sometimes conjuring feelings of shame in the bereaved where sympathy is intended. In this talk, we’ll be exploring the notion of what it means to grieve “normally” in the western world and the pressures society can put on us: “Shouldn’t I be over it?” “Why am I still sad they died?” Often the pressure “to get over it” can become overwhelming. With these questions in mind, we will look to see if there truly is a “right” way to grieve. Some of the research will surprise you.
Biography
Abby Young found herself working as a photojournalist in her 20s to only discover that therapy was her main calling. Abby received her masters of social work from the University of Kansas and opened her own practice, Tillery Time Counseling, in Lawrence. She has done work with people in many walks of life including those impacted by cancer, grieving, and surviving domestic violence to mention a few. She brings in an understanding of the mind, brain and body connection in working with people.
“The Mourning After: Death and Victorian Dress”
by Annette Becker
Are you from the nineteenth century? Has your spouse, second cousin, employer, or a beloved politician passed away recently? Well, look no further! Together we’ll explore a century of mourning etiquette and dress and the impact of those traditions on twenty-first century culture.
Biography
Annette Becker is a fashion historian who specializes in nineteenth and twentieth-century British and American dress. She has lectured and published on clothing’s relationship to the body, political and health reform dress, and first lady fashion. She has worked at Historic Deerfield, the Speed Art Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Texas Fashion Collection, and is currently at the Spencer Museum of Art. The highlight of her career thus far has been touching George Bernard Shaw’s woolen underwear a few weeks ago.
Doors open at 7:00 PM. Presentations begin at 8:00. $1 Cover.