Tarot, Circus, Baseball, and Telescopes

I will say this repeatedly about the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania: they have an exhibit for everyone! I enjoy their curators’ ingenuity with themes. On the main floor next to the Founders and Folk Art Gallery is Play Ball! an exhibit by artist James Markovich combining Tarot and baseball, two diversions one wouldn’t think go together! The titles of the major and minor arcana cards pertaining to baseball are cheeky. The artwork was inspired by an 18th Century deck of Tarot cards. The Everhart team also likes to make its exhibits interactive with a baseball Tarot game containing a deck of cards and a basket of fortunes for guests to pull.

On the lower level the Everhart’s curators like to rotate prints in their collection and create exhibits. The Performers features the etchings of James Kearns from the 1960’s and 1970’s. The artist who is 102 years old, depicts subjects from the circus with grotesque monstrous figures with oversized limbs and contorted faces. One of my favorites is the Acrobat showcasing the athleticism, fortitude and strength of women, which you can see by her muscular thighs!

Etching prints are created by “[incising] lines and textures… into a metal plate (traditionally copper or zinc) using acid or a corrosive mordant. The recessed areas hold ink, which is then pressed onto damp paper using an etching press” (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)