Looking for something fun and creative and maybe kind of sort of creepy to do on Tuesday, October 29th? Why not be enchanted and well-accessorized at Special Collections’ fabulous Totes & Tarot Halloween Spectacular! Look at some of our historic fortune-telling cards, including an 18th century animal tarot, have your tarot read by our in-house mystics, and decorate your own super-cute mini tote bag with cool and eerie woodblocks and linocuts! All craft supplies, including FREE tote bags, will be provided, if you register at our special link.
Not into crafts? You can stop by the Special Collections Reading Room (M-level, Brody Learning Commons) between 6pm and 8pm for a free tarot reading, courtesy of our Special Collections student employees! We will have four tarot stations for your reading pleasure. Not too sure where to start? Ask for a simple “past, present, future” reading which only requires that you select three cards.
You can also view in the Reading Room a display of historic fortune-telling cards and games, including a beautiful hand-colored tarot deck known as the “Belgian Animal Tarot.” This rare deck was printed by Philippus-Jacobinus Pharasyn around 1780 in Ghent, Belgium and includes charming depictions of creatures both real and fantastical, including lions, goats, and unicorns.
Of course, there is no Totes and Tarot Halloween Spectacular without tote bags! Check out these super-cute mini-totes you can decorate with a wide selection of woodblocks and linocuts. The linocuts are exclusive to Special Collections as they are handmade by seniors Katherine Budinger and Elena Echavarria! They have designed a striking linocut in honor of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,”as well as a series of linocuts inspired by some of their favorite books and artifacts in our collection, including the sun and moon woodblock from The Nuremberg Chronicle. Rumor has it there is also one in the works in honor of the Suffrage Cat!
Not enough Halloween fun for you? Well, what is Halloween without a sense of suspense. We will be raffling a cute harbinger of doom, a grim reaper stuffed animal resplendent in tie-dye, during the event. As we understand you could be traveling through several dimensions during Halloween week, you do not need to be present to win. You can even fill out raffle tickets at our Special Collections reception desk Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm through October 29th.