Where better to embrace All Hallows’ Eve than a 200-year-old library that could very possibly be haunted?? Join us for this family-friendly, open house-style event! Sit for a tintype portrait with Cole Caswell, explore your future with tarot reader Eliza Collins, and make a vintage craft. Vintage attire and costumes highly encouraged – check out these deeply disturbing examples!
Tickets (free for members; $10 for non-members; free for kids under 12) include admission to the building, tintype demonstrations at 12pm and 3pm, a craft activity, and treats. Tickets can also be purchased day of at the door. Tintype portraits and tarot readings can be purchased separately (see below).
Tintype Portraits (requires advance booking)
**When reserving your admission ticket, please also select your preferred tintype sitting time to book a portrait.
Reservation deposit: $20 (This deposit will be applied to your tintype. You will then pay Cole the balance of the selected size directly. For example, if you book at 4×5 tintype, you’ll pay Cole $45 directly before your sitting.)
Tintype options: 4×5 ($65) | 5×7 ($100) | 8×10 ($180)
Payment options: Venmo, credit card, cash
Artist Cole Caswell is offering commissioned tintype portraits under the project name AgNO3 Lab. Tintypes are one-of-a-kind images created on thin sheet of blackened metal. The process dates back to the 1860s and requires the use of a large format camera, portable darkroom, and numerous chemical solutions. We’re setting up a 19th-century-inspired studio in the Reading Room with some Halloween props. Appointments will be available to book every 15 minutes from 10am-5pm. Space is limited.
Cole Caswell researches the remnants and patterns in our landscape that reflect contemporary strategies of survival. Caswell travels in an 80’s VW camper van with a portable darkroom mounted to the back and uses alternative photographic process to create works while in the field. When the warmer weather returns to Maine he migrates towards his studio on Peaks Island off the coast of Portland. In 2009 Caswell started offering Tintype portrait commission to the public under the project name AGNO3lab which is still actively being invited to various venues from wild hog BBQs in the everglades of Florida to the Colby Art Museum in Maine.
Tarot Readings (first come, first served)
$35, 10-minute tarot readings with Eliza Collins will be available on a first come, first served basis between 10am-4pm.
Participants can pay Eliza directly before their reading, and advance reservations are not required.
Payment options: Venmo, cash, or credit card
Each Tarot card correlates to different aspects of the human psyche or a life situation. By using the cards to inquire about a particular situation or set of circumstances, you’re opening your mind to more possibilities and outcomes that you may not otherwise see if you’re thinking in a linear fashion. A tarot reading takes off the blinders, allowing you to see in all directions, and presents you with possibilities that your conscious mind may have closed off to you or steered you away from out of fear, impracticality, or through negative self talk. It can provide encouragement, clarity, and a sense of calm when navigating life’s murky waters.
Eliza Collins has been reading tarot for over 20 years. Throughout that time, she developed her own intuitive process for working with the cards. She does not follow rules of strict “spreads,” so each reading is bespoke. Her favorite aspect of tarot is the way in which the cards ask thoughtful questions, prompting individuals to explore unexpected possibilities and wonderful new adventures.
