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Learn to organize with Oliver Burkeman of London's Guardian! Join Morbid Anatomy for a special Friday the 13th virtual tour of medical museums of the Western World followed by music and cocktails! Morbid Anatomy Presents this week and beyond at Observatory:

Organization and Productivity for Creative Types with Oliver Burkeman of The Guardian
Date: Thursday,  July 12
Time: 8:00
Admission: $10
Produced by Morbid Anatomy

Do you hunger to climb the corporate ladder with ruthless efficiency, leaving your rivals in the dust as you pursue your relentless quest for wealth and power? Hopefully not, but that doesn’t mean you can’t borrow some tactics from such people and apply them to your own ends; to that end, this talk– by Oliver Burkeman, compulsive to-do-list-maker and journalist for London’s Guardian–will teach creatives, freelancers, and artists how to plan and manage multiple projects, better plan their time, and, in general, feel less overwhelmed by juggling a variety of projects at one time.

Burkeman has spent much of the last few years researching and reporting on self-help culture, including the fascinating history of the “how to succeed” publishing genre, and motivational gurus from Dale Carnegie to Stephen Covey, and sifting the wheat from the chaff. (There’s a lot of chaff.) Drawing on this research, this talk will explore some fundamental principles of getting organized, managing multiple projects, overcoming procrastination, time management, and being both more productive and less stressed in the kinds of sprawling artistic/creative/freelance lives that don’t get much attention in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. No cringe-inducing motivational speeches will be given; no Magic Systems for Instant Success will be promoted. Instead, we’ll plunder from the world of the grinning gurus the bits that actually work – so that you’ll leave equipped with a toolkit of immediately usable ways to do the stuff you’re already doing, and the projects you’re planning, with greater efficiency and ease. 

Please note: This event is a lecture adaptation of a recent popular Observatory class by the same name.

Oliver Burkemanin a writer based in Brooklyn with an unhealthy interest in filing systems. He writes features and a weekly column on psychology for the (London) Guardian. His book The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking will be published by Faber & Faber in the fall.


Image: Image sourced from http://www.flickr.com/photos/frettir/

Anatomical Venuses, The Slashed Beauty, and Fetuses Dancing a Jig
A heavily illustrated lecture by Morbid Anatomy founder Joanna Ebenstein, followed by afterparty featuring thematic music and specialty cocktails by Friese Undine
Date: Friday, July 13
Time: 8:00
Admission: $10
Presented by Morbid Anatomy

Since 2005, artist, independent scholar and Morbid AnatomistJoanna Ebenstein has travelled the world seeking out--and photographing whenever possible--the most fascinating, curious, and overlooked medical collections and wunderkammern, backstage and front, private and public. In the process, she has amassed not only an astounding collection of images but also a great deal of knowledge about the history and cultural context of these fascinating and uncanny artifacts.

This Friday the Thirteenth, please join us for a heavily illustrated lecture based on this research, followed by a thematic afterparty. In her lecture "?Anatomical Venuses, The Slashed Beauty, and Fetuses Dancing a Jig," Ebenstein will lead you on a highly-illustrated tour of medical museums and introduce you to many of their most curious and enigmatic denizens, including the Anatomical Venus, the Slashed Beauty, the allegorical fetal skeleton tableau (as seen above), the flayed horseman of the apocalypse, and three fetuses dancing a jig. Ebenstein will contextualize these artifacts via a discussion of the history of medical museums and modeling, a survey of great artists of the genre, and an examination of other death-related arts and amusements which made up the cultural landscape at the time that these objects were originally created, collected, and exhibited. Following, please stick around for an afterparty featuring thematic tunes and inventive artisanal cocktails complements of the omni-talented Friese Undine.

Joanna Ebenstein is a multi-disciplinary artist with an academic background in intellectual history. She runs the Morbid Anatomy blog and related open-to-the-public Brooklyn-based Morbid Anatomy Library. She is also the founding member of Observatory, a Brooklyn based arts and events space devoted to the revival of the 18th century notions of the dilettante and rational amusements. Her recent work—which includes photography, curation, installation, blogging, museum consulting, lecturing and writing—centers on anatomical museums and their artifacts, collectors and collecting, curiosities and marvels, 18th and 19th Century natural history and, as the subtitle of her blog states, “surveying the interstices of art and medicine, death and culture.” She has lectured at a variety of popular and academic venues, and her work has been shown and published internationally; she is the current Coney Island Musuem artist in resident, and recent solo exhibitions include The Secret Museum and Anatomical Theatre. You can find out more at her at her website astropop.com and her blog Morbid Anatomy; you can view much of her photography work by clicking here. She can be reached at morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com.

Image: Fetal Skeleton Tableau, 17th Century, University Backroom, Paris; From The Secret Museum. © Joanna Ebenstein, 2010

Onward and upward:

July 21: Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop: With former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton
***Must RSVP to morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com 

July 23: Class: Dissection as Studio Practice with Real Anatomical Specimens: Lecture and Studio Art and Dissection Class with artist Laura Splan **Must RSVP to morbidanatomy[at]gmail.com 

August 11: Anthropomorphic Insect Shadowbox Workshop: With former AMNH Senior Insect Preparator Daisy Tainton
***Must RSVP to morbidanatomy [at] gmail.com

August 17: Taxidermy, Longing, and Beastly Allure: An Illustrated Lecture with Rachel Poliquin, author of "The Breathless Zoo" and "Ravishing Beasts"


More on all events can be found here; hope to see you there!

Source:
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For those of you in and about Chicago, I would love to see you this Thursday, May 3, at The Chicago Cultural Center where I will be giving a lecture entitled "A Journey into the Curious World of the Medical Museum" as part of a series of events supplementing the amazing looking  Morbid Curiosity exhibition. The images above--drawn from my exhibitions The Secret Museum and Anatomical Theatre--constitute a tiny sampling of the many images I will be showing in the presentation.

Full details follow; very much hope very much to see you there.

You can find out more by clicking here.

Images top to bottom, as drawn from my recent photo exhibitions The Secret Museum and Anatomical Theatre:

1. "Anatomical Venus" Wax wodel with human hair and pearls in rosewood and Venetian glass case, "La Specola" (Museo di Storia Naturale), Florence, Italy, Probably modeled by Clemente Susini (around 1790)
2. "Slashed Beauty" Wax wodel with human hair and pearls in rosewood and Venetian glass case, "La Specola" (Museo di Storia Naturale), Florence, Italy, Probably modeled by Clemente Susini (around 1790)
3. "Anatomical Venuses," Wax Models with human hair in rosewood and Venetian glass cases,The Josephinum, Workshop of Clemente Susini of Florence circa 1780s, Vienna, Austria
4. The Mütter Museum : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pathological model; 19th Century?
5. Wax Model of Eye Surgery, Musée Orfila, Paris. Courtesy Université Paris Descartes
6. Wax Anatomical Models in Rosewood and Venetian Glass Boxes, The Josephinum, Workshop of Clemente Susini of Florence circa 1780s, Vienna, Austria
7. Wax moulages; Probably by Carl Henning (1860-1917) or Theodor Henning (1897-1946); Early 20th Century; Federal Pathologic-Anatomical Museum (Pathologisch-anatomisches Bundesmuseum): Vienna, Austria, Austria
8. Plaster Models in Pathological Cabinet, The Museum of the Faculty of Medicine at the Jagiellonian University, Krakow
9. Skeleton and hand models for "la médecine opératoire" Musée Orfila, Paris. Courtesy Université Paris Descartes

Source:
http://morbidanatomy.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Just a reminder; for those of you in the greater Los Angeles area,I would love to see you the night after tomorrow at The Velaslavasay Panorama, where I will be giving a lecture entitled "Anatomical Venuses, The Slashed Beauty, and Fetuses Dancing a Jig: A Journey into the Curious World of the Medical Museum." The images above--drawn from my recent photo exhibitions The Secret Museum and Anatomical Theatre--constitute a tiny sampling of the many images I will be showing in the presentation.

Full details follow; very much hope very much to see you there.

Tickets available here. You can find out more about the lecture on Flavorpill and in The LA Weekly. You can find out more about the panorama (one of my favorite spots in LA! highly recommended!) by clicking here.

Images top to bottom, as drawn from my recent photo exhibitions The Secret Museum and Anatomical Theatre:

1. "Anatomical Venus" Wax wodel with human hair and pearls in rosewood and Venetian glass case, "La Specola" (Museo di Storia Naturale), Florence, Italy, Probably modeled by Clemente Susini (around 1790)
2. "Slashed Beauty" Wax wodel with human hair and pearls in rosewood and Venetian glass case, "La Specola" (Museo di Storia Naturale), Florence, Italy, Probably modeled by Clemente Susini (around 1790)
3. "Anatomical Venuses," Wax Models with human hair in rosewood and Venetian glass cases,The Josephinum, Workshop of Clemente Susini of Florence circa 1780s, Vienna, Austria
4. The Mütter Museum : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pathological model; 19th Century?
5. Wax Model of Eye Surgery, Musée Orfila, Paris. Courtesy Université Paris Descartes
6. Wax Anatomical Models in Rosewood and Venetian Glass Boxes, The Josephinum, Workshop of Clemente Susini of Florence circa 1780s, Vienna, Austria
7. Wax moulages; Probably by Carl Henning (1860-1917) or Theodor Henning (1897-1946); Early 20th Century; Federal Pathologic-Anatomical Museum (Pathologisch-anatomisches Bundesmuseum): Vienna, Austria, Austria
8. Plaster Models in Pathological Cabinet, The Museum of the Faculty of Medicine at the Jagiellonian University, Krakow
9. Skeleton and hand models for "la médecine opératoire" Musée Orfila, Paris. Courtesy Université Paris Descartes

Source:
http://morbidanatomy.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

For those of you in the greater Los Angeles area: I would love to see you next month at at one of my very favorite Los Angeles attractions--The Velaslavasay Panorama--where I will be giving a lecture entitled "Anatomical Venuses, The Slashed Beauty, and Fetuses Dancing a Jig: A Journey into the Curious World of the Medical Museum." The images above--drawn from my recent photo exhibitions The Secret Museum and Anatomical Theatre--constitute a tiny sampling of the many images I will be showing in the presentation.

Full details follow; very much hope very much to see you there.

Tickets available here. You can find out more about the panorama (one of my favorite spots in LA! highly recommended!) by clicking here.

Images top to bottom, as drawn from my recent photo exhibitions The Secret Museum and Anatomical Theatre:

1. "Anatomical Venus" Wax wodel with human hair and pearls in rosewood and Venetian glass case, "La Specola" (Museo di Storia Naturale), Florence, Italy, Probably modeled by Clemente Susini (around 1790)
2. "Slashed Beauty" Wax wodel with human hair and pearls in rosewood and Venetian glass case, "La Specola" (Museo di Storia Naturale), Florence, Italy, Probably modeled by Clemente Susini (around 1790)
3. "Anatomical Venuses," Wax Models with human hair in rosewood and Venetian glass cases,The Josephinum, Workshop of Clemente Susini of Florence circa 1780s, Vienna, Austria
4. The Mütter Museum : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pathological model; 19th Century?
5. Wax Model of Eye Surgery, Musée Orfila, Paris. Courtesy Université Paris Descartes
6. Wax Anatomical Models in Rosewood and Venetian Glass Boxes, The Josephinum, Workshop of Clemente Susini of Florence circa 1780s, Vienna, Austria
7. Wax moulages; Probably by Carl Henning (1860-1917) or Theodor Henning (1897-1946); Early 20th Century; Federal Pathologic-Anatomical Museum (Pathologisch-anatomisches Bundesmuseum): Vienna, Austria, Austria
8. Plaster Models in Pathological Cabinet, The Museum of the Faculty of Medicine at the Jagiellonian University, Krakow
9. Skeleton and hand models for "la médecine opératoire" Musée Orfila, Paris. Courtesy Université Paris Descartes

Source:
http://morbidanatomy.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

Jason Freeny is making anatomy cool in ways no one else has done and his formula is simple: carefully dissect an iconic childhood toy, build in the underlying anatomy, and then display it to the wonder of children and adults everywhere.

I caught up with Jason, in between chasing his two-year-old around, and was able to get his thoughts on anatomy, the popularity of his work, self-promotion, and more.

Q Medical illustrators covet great anatomical references. What anatomical references, if any, do you use when you begin to dissect a toy?

First off please let me say that my anatomical toy sculpts and illustrations cover the most basic of anatomical elements. While medical illustrations are targeted toward the medical industry for the most part, my work is aimed at a broader, more mainstream, less anatomically savvy audience.

With that said, I use whatever references I can get a hold of. The local bookstore is my destination of choice when it comes to finding reference. My children’s anatomy books are great. There are some fantastic books out there aimed at teaching the laymen about anatomy with very detailed color plates. The Internet is another fine place to find reference, especially for animals other than humans. Some of my work approaches animals that either don’t exist or are mutated to the point where traditional anatomy won’t suffice. Some anatomies are a fusion of several different mammals.

Q You definitely make anatomy more attractive and digestible for the layperson. Would you ever consider taking it a step further and doing your own children’s anatomy book?

One thing I know about myself is my limitations. I’ve never felt stories or character development was a strong trait. This could change in the future. I can’t tell you how many artists I’ve seen try to move too far outside their element and just make themselves look bad. Actors trying to be singers etc… I have a pretty good feel for what I am good at and what I am not so good at…

Q During the Street Anatomy gallery show I observed a father and his 9- year-old daughter looking at your pieces titled, Micro Schematic and Kitty Half. The father was reminiscing about his childhood playing with Lego’s and the daughter was thrilled over the cuteness of the Hello Kitty, despite half its skeleton and guts showing. Why do you think you’ve managed to capture the imaginations of people across many generations simply by exposing anatomical features?

This is always the most difficult question I get asked. I’ll answer it as best as I can. It’s not a simple answer…One I don’t believe I’ve figured out…

For the father, it’s perhaps being hit with the possibility that all those toys, characters, and imaginary friends from their youth could have quite possibly been real. And for a few moments, all the imagination and fantasy abandoned yearsago come gushing back.

For the child, it’s being introduced to a new dimension to these characters. Perhaps solidifying their reality. One thing I have never seen in a child’s reaction is fear. It’s always amazement, wonder, and wanting to explore the image. Fear of anatomy and guts is a learned reaction. It’s always the parents who are uneasy. Uneasy about how a child will react, then, seem shocked when they aren’t frightened, but instead are excited.

Q While many artists, including most medical illustrators, are trying to protect their work online, you actually promote the reposting of your images through this key line at the bottom of your site, “All images ©Jason Freeny except where noted, feel free to link to this site as well as repost images on the web. No images may be reproduced or used in printed format without consent.” Has this open approach helped the viral spread of your work? Have you ever had an issue with people reposting your work and not giving you credit? Would you suggest other artists be less restrictive with the reposting of their work online?

I don’t see my work as true medical illustration, with respect to actual medical illustrators, it’s more of a novelty. There is no truth behind my work, my anatomies are hypothetical, this is strictly art.

All my promotions are based on viral word of mouth. Hence, my stance on sharing. I let the collective voice of the Internet decide its worth. Some pieces go up and the response is tremendous, sometimes I just get the sounds of crickets. This method works for me and I have no idea how it would work for others. Since I work with a lot of popular characters, people relate to it pretty easily. Not sure how it would go with someone’s still life’s of “fruit in a bowl.”

My work has become pretty embedded throughout the web and even if credit is not given, it’s pretty obvious it’s mine. I’m not all that much a stickler for policing blogs and such with my work. There are a lot of good people out there that do it for me. I love my fans and wouldn’t be where I am without them. I guess the only thing that offends me is when a site takes my image and puts their own watermark on it, it’s just rude. As long as no one is directly profiting off one of my images I don’t have any problems with it. The more eyes that see it the better

Q Have you run into any copyright or licensing issues with the toy characters you’ve dissected? Have any of the toy companies approached you to create a line of dissected toys after seeing the response to any of the sculpts you created?

I have yet to be approached by any of the IP holders of any of the sculpts. I have been approached from some of the IP holders from my illustrations. I’ve only had copyright issues from the illustrations solely because I offer prints. There is nothing wrong with creating any of the sculpts or images I have done. The problems arise when I begin to mass produce and sell.

So far the IP holders that have contacted me have been very kind. They see the art in what I do and as long as I limit my production to a small amount they don’t have issue. They legally have the right to keep me from selling anything more than one. Like I said, they have been VERY kind.

Q What’s next for Jason Freeny? Even if you were to stop doing dissections of iconic toys, will anatomy still be a part of your work?

I’m always looking for new things to create. A time will come when something else will come up and I’ll move on, but I’m sure anatomy will always pop up and make another appearance. Perhaps in another form…

View all of Jason’s work on his site, Moist Production.

Follow Jason on Facebook and see his creations in progress!

For all you Londoner's out there: on Thursday, October 7th at 6:00 PM, I will be giving a free lecture at University College London about anatomical museums and their curious denizens, heavily illustrated with many photographs I have been collecting over the years, such as those seen above.

The lecture is free and open-to-the-public. Full details follow; hope to see you there!

Anatomical Venuses, The Slashed Beauty, and Fetuses Dancing a Jig:
A Journey into the Curious World of the Medical Museum
Date: Thursday, October 7th
Time: 6 PM
Location: UCL, Department of History of Art
20 Gordon Square, WC1E 6BT London, Room 3-4 (first floor)

Tonight's lecture will introduce you to the the Medical Museum and its curious denizens, from the Anatomical Venus (see above) to the Slashed Beauty, the allegorical fetal skeleton tableau to the taxidermied bearded lady, the flayed horseman of the apocalypse to the three fetuses dancing a jig. The lecture will contextualize these artifacts by situating them within their historical context via a discussion of the history of medical modeling, a survey of the great artists of the genre, and an examination of the other death-related diversions which made up the cultural landscape at the time that these objects were originally created, collected, and exhibited.

You can download an invitation to the event by clicking here.

All Images From The Secret Museum Exhibition;" Top to bottom:

1. Anatomical Venuses," Wax Models with human hair in rosewood and Venetian glass cases,The Josephinum, Workshop of Clemente Susini of Florence circa 1780s, Vienna, Austria
2. Wax Model of Eye Surgery, Musée Orfila, Paris. Courtesy Université Paris Descartes
3. Fetal Skeleton Tableau, 17th Century, University Backroom, Paris