Get into the Halloween spirit by joining us on Monday, October 19th from 7:00-8:30 in the Community Room for Gravestone Art & Symbolism.
Early New England burial grounds were the first public art galleries in the New World. Even today, many of these tranquil sites display the remarkable artistic, cultural and religious changes of this region. Old gravestones or markers often explained how entire families lived and died.
This presentation will cover the progression and interpretation of early symbolism or iconography, from those seen in family burial plots to the more elaborate ones seen in the ‘rural” and lawn park cemeteries of the Victorian era and, later still, in the Memorial Parks of the 20th Century. Modern examples of memorialization and symbolism will be included, as will the changing techniques and skills required by the early slate and sandstone carvers, contrasting with today’s techniques such as laser etching. It includes some stories of people that these stones commemorate. The presentation will conclude with an opportunity for questions and a photographic tour of some surrounding cemeteries.
Presented by Lorna and Phil Woolridge of Wise Owl Workshops.
This program is geared towards adults and teens, and is not appropriate for young children. Registration is requested; sign up today!
