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      Virtual Art Making

      The Salem Witch Trials 1692 & Bill Crisafi

      Thursday, October 23, 2025 from 7—8:30 pm

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      The Salem Witch Trials 1692 & Bill Crisafi

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      Location: Virtual on Zoom
      Ages 18+

      Members $39; nonmembers $49; plus $10 for materials

      Join us for a seasonal, virtual art making workshop featuring the campy, eerie talents of illustrator and artist Bill Crisafi. The session begins with a presentation by curators Paula Richter and Dan Lipcan, who will offer an exclusive look at The Salem Witch Trials 1692 exhibition. Then, participants will engage in a creative hands-on workshop led by Crisafi.

      Explore some historical folk magic symbols used for protection (some of which can be found adorning 17th-century objects in PEM’s collection). These symbols were brought to Massachusetts by British settlers as a countercurrent belief system to the prevailing Puritan religious beliefs associated with the Salem Witch Trials. Work with the artist to create your own unique symbol of protection rooted in historic protective folk magic practices!

      Registration for this event closes on October 6. A supply kit containing all necessary materials will be mailed to each participant.

      About the collaborators

      Bill Crisafi
      Bill Crisafi

      Bill Crisafi is an artist who lives and works in Chicago. His body of work is heavily influenced by the occult, drag, fashion and the nostalgia he has for the dark history of his home state of Massachusetts. He communicates his ideas through illustration, sculpture and photography that explores themes of magic and folklore, merged together with a touch of camp and humor. His photographic work developed from his passion for costume construction, and allows him to bring to life the world he creates through illustration.

      Paula Richter
      Paula Richter

      Since 2009, Paula Richter has been responsible for curatorial research and support of the museum's changing exhibition program, related publications and core activities within the curatorial department. She has participated on exhibition teams for more than a dozen recent and upcoming exhibitions and numerous gallery installations and rotations. She previously worked for the Cape Ann Historical Association, the Sargent House Museum and Landmark College. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Richter writes and lectures on American textiles and fashion and New England art and decorative arts.

      Dan Lipcan
      Dan Lipcan

      Dan Lipcan serves as the Director of PEM’s Phillips Library, located at the James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Collection Center in Rowley, MA. Since his appointment as Head Librarian in 2019, he has made significant headway in enhancing scholarly access, strengthening the library’s collections and operations and increasing the library’s presence in the museum’s galleries. Prior to his tenure at PEM, Lipcan was Associate Museum Librarian at Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At PEM, Lipcan leads a talented staff charged with preserving and sharing the library’s extensive collection of books, archives, ships’ journals, broadsides, photography and ephemera. Together, they work to transform the highly-respected research library — with its rich and varied global collections — into an innovative and active intellectual hub that supports the overall mission of the museum. Lipcan holds a B.A. in Studio Art (Printmaking) from Allegheny College and an MLS from Queens College-CUNY. In 2017, he was selected to participate in the Columbia Business School Executive Development Program at The Met. He is a member of the Grolier Club, the Colonial Society of Massachusetts and the Art Libraries Society of North America.

      Follow @pemlibrary on Instagram to stay up to date on all library news.

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