In the 1800s, taxidermy was displayed at world expos to engage the public in wonder and curiosity. Wunderkammer carries this tradition forward, but with a focus on modern values of sustainability, inclusivity, and imagination.
Join us as the nations most innovative taxidermy artists fill you with awe and wonder as they showcase their most creative creatures in a showcase that awards the beautiful and bizarre. A cabinet of curiosities come to life!
Celebrate the art and science of taxidermy with your hosts for the night Justin Fornal, the Science Channel star and Explorer’s Club culinary ambassador notorious for his wild game dinners, and Divya Anantharaman, NYC’s premiere taxidermist, world traveling educator, and star of the award winning documentary "Rearranging Skin". We have an all star judging panel, including Kate Clark, Ave Rose, Robert Marbury, and George Dante!
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ARTISTS-Interested in showing your work? CLICK HERE for our rules and submission!
Guests are encouraged to dress for the occasion!
All ticketed guests receive a gift at the door, sponsored by Bazaar Baltimore
PRE-SALE ticket holders are entered in a raffle to win taxidermy mounts, taxidermy classes, and a prize bundle from Morbid Anatomy, and much more!
In addition to taxidermy, the evenings festivities will include-
Drinks by Liquid Death! And other curious cocktails
Wildlife Conservation!
Special appearance by Taxidermy Auction!
Ritual Sideshow Performance by The No Ring Circus!
Beautiful and Bizarre Drag by Shanita Bump , Sextia N'eight , and star of Sado Psychiatrist and Dragula, Disasterina!
Keynote Artist Presentation by Ave Rose and Kate Clark!
Taxidermy resources for those inspired to learn taxidermy on their own!
This event is mixed seating and standing. The Bell House NYC is wheelchair accessible. If you require additional accommodations, please contact us at nyc.wunderkammer@gmail.com.
Artist Prizes Sponsired by Blick Art Materials!
Wunderkammer Logo design by Erika Harada
The Bell House is located at
149 7th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
October 27, 2022 7-11pm
Doors 7pm/Show 8pm
Tickets $15 advance/$20 door
Artists and Collectors! Are you interested in showing off your wildest works and winning fabulous prizes? We are looking forward to a spectacular evening full of curious delights. Though this is a showcase and competition, we are not here to judge your style of taxidermy-we are here to celebrate your artistic execution and creative vision, and hope to showcase a diverse range of talent. Please read the rules and form carefully, and make your submissions. This show is open to everyone from anywhere, regardless of experience!
In order to create an unforgettable audience experience, our showcase will be curated to a limited number of participants. Please submit your entries using our ENTRY FORM
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
All entry forms must be received by 11:59pm on 10/9/2022. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Acceptances will be sent by 11:59pm on 10/13/2022. Please check your email! If accepted we will be sending important information about day of show logistics, etc. Due to the large volume of entries, our small team may not be able to send letters to those who were not accepted, but please know we appreciate your time and efforts. Our show is curated to reflect a variety of different styles and skills, and is in no way a personal judgement. We thank you for understanding!
YES You may submit SKETCHES and/or PHOTOS of unfinished work as long as you have reference or CLEAR descriptions of what will be added! The more information you give us, the easier it is for our selection team!
Anyone and everyone from anywhere is free to submit work for consideration! Please submit your work only if you will be able to travel to NYC to show your work on our show date, or have someone present it on your behalf. Our selection committee works hard to curate the show, and having no-shows takes opportunities away from other artists in the community.
Please do not bring pieces in addition to your submission. If you need to edit or add to your submission, you should be able to using the form, please email us if you have issues!
Judging will take place on the day of the show, awards will be based ONLY on the pieces presented day of the show. Being accepted into the showcase does not guarantee an award. But it does guarantee a fabulous evening!
Contestants can submit more than one piece. However, each piece may only be entered in one category. Best of Show and Runners Up will be judged from ALL entries in ALL categories.
All pieces must be clean and properly preserved. We strongly encourage beginners and nontraditional artists to enter, however we will not show any work that is rotting, odorous, has an active insect infestation, or otherwise improperly preserved. Out of respect for your fellow artists and judges!
All pieces must be original works by you. Please notify us if you are presenting on someone else’s behalf, or would like to submit a historic piece.
All specimens must be legal. If any paperwork or permits are necessary, please have them on hand. We are passionate about conservation and have a zero tolerance policy for illegal wildlife trade. Wunderkammer and hosts are not liable for your illegal behavior or damages that result from it.
Contestants will come to the stage to present their pieces. Please be prepared to talk about your piece, and to carry your piece onto the stage safely. There is a designated area for your works on and near the stage so you are not carrying it all night, but you will need to be able to present the piece. Please notify us if you will need assistance, we are happy to accommodate you as much as possible. If your piece is delicate and needs protection, please bring a case or email us to make arrangements. You are welcome to have friends assist you, though you will be responsible for communicating with them. If you have stage fright, its ok, we are there for you! Remember that this is a space filled with people that love the beautiful and bizarre. Its all about giving taxidermy the spotlight it deserves!
We want all artists to enjoy themselves and have a great time in this friendly showcase! Disorderly conduct will NOT be tolerated. We have a zero tolerance policy towards racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, harassment, or any other harmful behavior. Please contact Divya or The Bell House security staff in the unlikely event of any incidents.
PLEASE DIRECT ALL INQUIRIES TO OUR EMAIL nyc.wunderkammer@gmail.com.
This is the FASTEST way to get a reply as multiple people monitor this account, and will usually reply to you within 24 hours. Messaging our sponsors, hosts, etc may not guarantee a response.
COMPETITON SHOWCASE CATEGORIES-
Unnatural History
Do you conjure creatures that would make Linnaeus lose his mind? This category is for all of your mythical beasts! Hybrids, gaffs, and everything in between.
Anthropomorphic Animals
For those who painstakingly embroider rosettes on frilly rabbit knickers, or craft the perfectly sized pints for your squirrels pub diorama, this is your category!
Bone Zone
No bones about it, your original skeletal and bone art belongs here.
Wearable Wunderkammer
Always dressed to impress, and ready to get wild. This category is for wearable works of bone and taxidermy art.
Wild Card
Do you have something that does not fit in any of the other categories? Surprise us!
Awards will be given for the most outstanding piece in each category, ALL categories are eligible for Best in Show, First Runner up, Second Runner up. These awards are a reflection of our panelists opinions on how works have interpreted the themes, and are not a judgement on the validity of your work!
PERKS & PRIZES
All accepted artists receive free entry for one, a drink ticket, and a door gift in thanks for their participation.
Best of Category-winners receive a one year membership to NYC Audubon or the Wild Bird Fund, OR $50 to spend at Blick Art Materials!
Best of Show-winner receives $250 to spend at Taxidermy Auction,$300 to spend at Blick Art Materials! and $50 to spend at Tohickon Glass Eyes.
1st runner up -winner receives $100 to spend at Taxidermy Auction, and $200 to spend at Blick Art Materials! .
3rd place-winner receives $75 to spend at Taxidermy Auction, and $100 to spend at Blick Art Materials! .
More awards and prizes will be announced closer to our show date!
Justin Fornal is a fellow of the Explorers Club and President of the Bronx Pipe Smoking Society. Fornal specializes in investigating indigenous traditions and historical mysteries around the world. He is currently creating content for Discovery/Science Channel and VICE Studios. In 2016 Fornal tracked down the lost skull of African American slave rebellion leader Nat Turner and repatriated it to the Turner descendants. The relic had been missing since 1831. Fornal is currently working on several other high profile relic repatriation projects. Every year he produces the Bronx Game Dinner, an event that introduces eaters from around the world to traditional indigenous protein sources such as skunk, porcupine, coyote, and raccoon. http://baronambrosia.com
A unique combination of science and style, Divya Anantharaman is New York City's premiere taxidermist. An award winning licensed professional preserving animals with honor and compassion for clients ranging from museums, high end designers, gallerists, and collectors. Her specialties are birds, small mammals, and anatomic anomalies, with a select number of commissions open for pets. Her work seeks to combine the demonstrative aspect of scientific presentation with the symbolic, introspective nature of art, using taxidermy to engage diverse audiences with conservation. She is passionately curious about the untapped potential of this scientific art.
She left the corporate fashion industry to pursue her love of natural history as the resident taxidermist at the Morbid Anatomy Museum, and has since built a following creating taxidermy, skeletal, and entomology displays, along with jewelry and wearable art, for anyone who finds wonder in the natural world. In addition to running her own business, she works part time at the esteemed studio of George Dante, which specializes in museum taxidermy and historic conservation. Here, her passion for nature grows through helping preserve animals and exhibits for future generations.
She has recently been featured in the award winning documentary "Rearranging Skin" highlighting the changing face of taxidermy as the artform evolves with our modern world.
Ave Rose is an LA based artist, automaton maker, and jewelry designer. Her sculptures and jewelry transform scientific specimens into whimsical artifacts. Her automata bring “the dead to life” through the combination of motion mechanics and taxidermy ephemera. Ave Rose’s work has been featured in music videos, TV shows, commercials, art galleries, and museums around the world, including the world famous LACMA.
George Dante has more than 36 years of experience as a taxidermist, sculptor,
model maker, illustrator and fine artist. He has been a field naturalist his entire
life and formed Wildlife Preservations while in high school. George continued to
develop his company while obtaining a Bachelor of Arts from the School of Visual
Arts in New York and today the company is a world-class provider of natural
history exhibit services. Their work has been recognized in media outlets such as
the New York Times, New York Post, Chicago Sun Times, National Geographic
Magazine, Popular Mechanics, Good Morning America, Martha Stewart Living,
NPR, Scientific American, Atlas Obscura, Popular Science, Treasures of New
York, National Geographic Explorer, and more.
Recently George and his team have also become recognized as leaders in the
restoration and conservation of older taxidermy and museum dioramas. His work
continues to advance the way collections are restored by bridging the gap
between classical taxidermy and fine art conservation.
In addition to being the recipient of numerous awards, George is also served
many years an NTA certified judge and instructor with several publications in his
field. His clients include some of the most prestigious institutions and
organizations in the world, such as the American Museum of Natural History, The
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Harvard University, The Field
Museum, National Geographic, Oxford University, US Fish & Wildlife Service,
and more.
Kate Clark is a sculptor who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Her hybrid sculptures synthesize the human face and the body of wild animals. Her fusion of human and animal creates a fiction that suggest that our humanity is fully realized when we acknowledge not only our current programming but also our natural instincts. Kate had her first solo exhibit at Claire Oliver Gallery in New York in 2008. Since then she has been exhibited in solo museum exhibitions at the Mobile Museum of Art, The Newcomb Art Museum and the Hilliard Museum and in group museum exhibitions at the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, The Islip Art Museum, and The Bellevue Arts Museum, MOFA: Florida State University, Cranbrook Art Museum, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, The Winnepeg Art Gallery, the Glenbow Museum, the Musée de la Halle Saint Pierre, Paris, The Art Gallery at Cleveland State University, the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, the Nevada Museum of Art, the David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, the Biggs Museum of American Art, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Her work is collected internationally and is in public collections such as the JP Morgan Chase Art Collection, the 21c Collection, the David Roberts Art Foundation in London, the Cranbrook Museum, and the C-Collection in Switzerland. Clark’s sculptures have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, New York Magazine, Art21:Blog, The Village Voice, PAPERmag, The Atlantic, Hyperallergic, NYArts, Huffington Post, Hi Fructose, the BBC World News Brazil, Hey! Magazine, Time Out, ID Paris, Cool Hunting, Wallpaper, Creators Project/VICE, Sculpture Review and many other publications. Kate’s work is the cover image for Art ltd. magazine, November/December 2014. Kate was filmed by National Geographic in her studio over a 2 month period for a short documentary about her work.
Robert Marbury is a multi-disciplinary artist working in fabric, photography, and fur. He is a co-founder of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists and lectures internationally about alternative taxidermy. He has developed his Urban Beast Project since 2000 in order to investigate the ferine nature of animals and their interaction with humans in the urban environment. Robert has played a drape in John Waters' Crybaby, been held up by pirates in Indonesia, and served as the Public Arts Chair on the Minneapolis Arts Commission. He was a regular judge at the annual Carnivorous Night's Taxidermy Contest. His work has received support from the Aljira Contemporary Art Center in Newark, NJ; the CAFKA Public Art Forum in Ontario, Canada; the Minnesota State Arts Board; and the NEA Artist Initiative Grant. In 2007, Robert was included as one of the “stray dogs of contemporary art” in Charley 05, edited by Maurizio Cattelan, Massimiliano Gioni, and Ali Subotnick. Robert earned his B.A. from Connecticut College and a Post-Bac from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He currently lives and works in Baltimore, MD. Taxidermy Art: A Rogue's Guide to the Work, the Culture, and How to Do It Yourself is Robert's first book.
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