Fairy Tale Moons: Watercolor Illustrations by Mary Stewart Adams and Patricia DeLisa

When

Tuesday December 3, 2013: 9:00am to Tuesday January 14, 2014: 9:00pm

Where

Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room Exhibit

Description

Once upon a time, every Moon had a name, and in every name was a story... So begins a delightful journey through the world of Fairy Tale Moons, where star lore historian Mary Stewart Adams and her sister, artist Patricia DeLisa, have researched and explored our best-loved folk and fairy tales in order to reveal, through their art and language, our connection with the stars overhead each month.

Each water color image in the Fairy Tale Moons exhibit depicts one scene from a fairy tale, and that tale, in turn, serves as the silver ladder crafted out of the imagination that can link us to the Full Moon of the month, and the stars beyond. Through Fairy Tale Moons, Mary and Patricia have sought to restore the whimsy and beauty of the storytelling of the night, and to create a means of access that requires nothing more than a willingness to dream and imagine and be inspired by the beauty of story and stars.

The people of former cultures didn't have calendars hanging on the walls of their huts and hogans and other dwellings, nor did they have access to deep space telescopes and satellites. Instead, their sages carved the movements of Sun and Moon on majestic rocks, and tracked the rising and setting of prominent stars as indicators for when to celebrate the sacred ceremonies. Every culture has its star lore, and every culture used its star lore as a way to pass on their moral wisdom and to inspire imaginations that cultivated healthy and harmonious living, from one generation to the next.

A related event, Beyond the Telescope: A Storyteller's Guide to the Night Sky, will occur on Thursday, December 12, 7 – 8:30 pm in the Multipurpose Room. Star lore historian and Fairy Tale Moons creator Mary Stewart Adams will weave together our contemporary understanding of the celestial environment with the star lore of ages for this engaging and informative journey through the night sky. Mary is the program director for the Headlands International Dark Sky Park (two miles west of Mackinaw City),