This Museum Of Witchcraft And Magic Exhibited My Collection Of Photos, Occult Items, And Other Creepy Stuff (47 Pics)

As a curator and a collector, I love to discuss my fascination with occult imagery. When I began collecting things 20 years ago, it was mostly everyday snapshots I found at flea markets and garage sales... I became fascinated with imagery that had this occult or paranormal feel to it, although I know what I was really looking at were flaws in the photographic process, double exposures, light leaks, camera straps in the picture, but every so often, I’d come across a gem that seemed to want to be telling a story, as if it had some otherworldly influence.

The art of the esoteric is exciting to me, it’s an immediate experience that we hopefully don’t lose in our time of instantaneous access and gratification. It’s what the whole essence of collecting should be, to give us a door to a higher order, an immediacy which refreshes the psyche and enriches our quality of life.

To me, Visual Art is the jewel in the crown of our cultural achievements. The greatest reward is sharing our collections with others to inspire awe in them as well.

Also included in the exhibition, along with works from the 16th century through the present day, are newly discovered photographs by Jack Edwards of Camp Silver Belle, which was a spiritualist retreat in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, from the 1940s through the 1980s. Socialites from Manhattan would converge there during the summer months to have contact with spirits from the other side. (from Wikipedia: “Camp Silver Belle was practicing fraudulent mediumship, and had been exposed in various newspapers. Before exposures, the camp took in up to a million dollars a year. The photographs taken by Jack Edwards of Silver Belle materializing were discovered to be a hoax. “).

The exhibition also includes spirit photos by the most well-known photographer of the genre William Hope, as well as works by contemporary artists Alexis Karl, Barry William Hale, Nahw Yg, Barry William Hale, Luciana Lupe Vasconcelos, Josh Stebbins, Kim Bo Yung, Nicholas Syracuse, Inge Vandormael, and Daniel Gonçalves.

Check out the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick’s website for ticketing information.