{"id":249,"date":"2016-12-11T15:46:34","date_gmt":"2016-12-11T23:46:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/?p=249"},"modified":"2016-12-11T16:24:05","modified_gmt":"2016-12-12T00:24:05","slug":"burning-times-fire-drills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/12\/burning-times-fire-drills.html","title":{"rendered":"Burning Times & Fire Drills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"artwork
artwork by the author, TBT exhibiton, mixed media on wood<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The exhibition opened on Ash Wednesday. \u00a0That wasn\u2019t intentionally planned, but simply\u00a0how the gallery schedule worked out. \u00a0Regardless, it did seem fated, for as you entered the gallery, the hand-painted words \u201cFlesh to ashes\u2026ashes to flesh\u201d\u00a0<\/em>stood out on the bare white wall.<\/p>\n

As you walked further into the space, you came face to face with small mixed media pieces. \u00a0Diminutive in scale, they pulled you in to show you quotes\u00a0and images of torture and related devices from centuries ago. \u00a0They were joined by smokey etchings and monotypes, and monochromatic paintings that mimicked skin and hair, layered with biting words. \u00a0The opposite wall was filled with many sheets of semi-burned parchment paper, each containing the silkscreened image of a woman being burned at the stake. \u00a0Handwritten next to her on each page was a name, cause of death, and the year. \u00a0Lastly, in the center of the space was a large pile of unfired ceramic bodies that appeared to writhe and twist, placed in a pile of ashes.<\/p>\n

The show was entitled\u00a0\u201cThe Burning Times\u201d<\/em> and it was my senior solo exhibition at RISD. \u00a0The name of the body of work is an early 20th century reference to the period of time where many people (particularly in Europe) were burned or otherwise executed as witches.<\/p>\n

The show itself\u00a0took on a second life for quite a few years starting in 2001, becoming part of a resource website that focused on documenting news, fighting discrimination, and acting as a living interactive memorial via Crescent Magazine<\/em>. \u00a0Alas, Anja (the EoC) and I had more great ideas than we had the time and hands to work on them. \u00a0After a few active years, it fell into the black hole of internet (though you can still see parts of it via the wayback machine)<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

I have been thinking about that show again lately. \u00a0Half because of people referencing \u201cThe Burning Times\u201d (TBT) when expressing their fears about the current political climate. \u00a0The other half I\u2019ve seen used in other random places, often coupled with derogatory expressions about uneducated or ungrounded practitioners. \u00a0I feel like both are missing the point entirely.<\/p>\n

I was a young, passionate woman and dedicated public witch when I created that body of work. \u00a0But it wasn\u2019t meant to be a specifically a feminist statement or a Pagan sentiment about lost culture and knowledge. \u00a0Rather it was a statement on society\u2019s crimes against itself, that it continues to commit today.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure how many art shows come with bibliographies, but mine did. \u00a0The show idea was seeded by a social studies class I took at RISD on women in the middle ages. The reading and research for that class coincidentally merged with countless feminist writings from the 70\u2019s-80\u2019s I was immersed in via my religious studies. \u00a0At that time, a bunch of new books looking into the \u201cwitch craze\u201d had just come on the market, so\u00a0I was eye-deep in books.<\/p>\n

\"Breath of Ashes\"
\u201cBreath of Ashes\u201d \u2013 Monotype by the Author, TBT Exhibit<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All of that scholarly research essentially boils down to recognizing the difference between these two phrases:
\n\u201cX amount of witches were killed from Y-Z centuries\u201d<\/strong><\/em>
\n\u2013 and \u2013
\n\u201cX amount of people were killed as witches from Y-Z centuries.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you see that subtle difference? The latter one is the only one we can prove, and gets to the heart of the matter.<\/p>\n

The following is a quote from the TBT website archive:\u00a0\u201cThe victims came from a wide background of cultures, social statures, and religious beliefs. They were killed because they were different, unpopular, unwanted. Old widows with land were accused of Witchcraft so that the town could take over their land and acquire their wealth. Young women were accused by jealous wives whose husbands who had wandering eyes. If there was a problem with the animals or the crops, the latest newcomers to the town were held suspect. And as the years progressed, midwives and healers whose practices rivaled that of male doctors and the Church were brought forth on charges of Witchcraft and heresy\u2026.the truth of the matter is this: It doesn\u2019t matter how many people died, or when they started dying, or what religion they practiced, or what sex they were. It\u2019s the fact that they DID die \u2014 they died simply because of who they were.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

My main change to the above quote now<\/strong> would be simple. \u00a0I would add to the very last line \u201cand because their neighbors and\/or local governments were assholes.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The heart of the lesson\u00a0of \u201cThe Burning Times\u201d<\/em>\u00a0isn\u2019t about P-words being persecuted \u2013 then or now<\/strong><\/em>. \u00a0It\u2019s about scapegoating and discriminating against\u00a0any<\/strong><\/em> minority or marginalized person for your own self-interest \u2013 being it financial, political, spiritual, or personal. \u00a0Just exchange \u201cwitch\u201d out for \u201ctranswoman\u201d or \u201cMuslim\u201d or \u201cLatino\u201d or \u201cqueer\u201d, etc. \u00a0Witch has long been a placeholder for \u201cthe other\u201d, \u201cnot us\u201d, \u201cthem\u201d, \u201cwhat we fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever again TBT\u201d<\/em> isn\u2019t a cry to fear for your own neck, nor does it harken\u00a0to a disconnected myth. \u00a0It IS\u00a0a call to stand up for those around you. \u00a0It\u2019s a challenge to be brave, to be prepared, to fight for what you believe in, and to protect the best parts of humanity against the worst. \u00a0No one is \u201csafe\u201d unless everyone is valued. \u00a0This isn\u2019t a history lesson exclusively for our leaders \u2013 it\u2019s one for every single person in every community. \u00a0It means speaking up when you know something is wrong, helping out when you see someone in trouble, and seeking understanding when possible. \u00a0None of that requires you to be wearing a pentacle or cloak either when you do it.<\/p>\n

\""Don't
\u201cDon\u2019t Set Them On Fire (Until You See The Whites of Their Eyes)\u201d \u2013 detail from TBT painting<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n


\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The exhibition opened on Ash Wednesday. \u00a0That wasn\u2019t intentionally planned, but simply\u00a0how the gallery schedule worked out. \u00a0Regardless, it did seem fated, for as you entered the gallery, the hand-painted words \u201cFlesh to ashes\u2026ashes to flesh\u201d\u00a0stood out on the bare white wall. As you walked further into the space, you came face to face with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":261,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13,14],"tags":[91,130,143,144,7,4,94],"class_list":["post-249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modernpractice","category-myth-and-folklore","category-tradition","tag-art","tag-politics","tag-tbt","tag-the-burning-times","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft","tag-witches"],"yoast_head":"\nBurning Times & Fire Drills<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The heart of the lesson of "The Burning Times" isn't about P-words being persecuted - then or now. 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