It Wanted Me, It Haunted Me - New Ed Snyder Art Exhibit!

On November 20, 2015, there will be an Opening Reception for a show of Ed Snyder’s new photographic work at Red Hook Coffee and Tea in Philadelphia. You are invited. Its free. There will be beer (that's free too.) Red Hook is a great little coffee shop and restaurant in the Queen Village section of Philadelphia (on Fourth Street, a few blocks south of South Street).

Red Hook Coffee and Tea on yelp
Red Hook Coffee and Tea on Facebook

Please join me for some lively discussion on the mourning arts! Let's trade notes about creepy cemeteries we've visited and odd experiences we've had. Angels and Devils, Good and Evil. We’re all haunted by those forces. That’s the theme of this exhibit of new work. It wanted me, it haunted me

I was originally going to do a frightful October show but my handlers had to move me to the November-December slot. Therefore, I’m only going to scare the bejeesus out of you with HALF of my images – one half will be scary, disturbing photography, while the other half will be angels - sweetness and light. In the long run, this might be better for Red Hook’s regular daytime clientele - it would probably not be good for business to have patrons’ children running out the door crying.

So the images will be mostly cemetery scenes - abandoned graveyards as well as eternal mourning figures on which the Victorian light has never faded. You’ll see an odd mix of angels and devils. Maybe the angels represent our respect, maybe the devils our neglect. I’ve thrown a few examples here for you to ponder. 

The show will be up from November 20 to December 11, 2015. So, if you like angels for the holidays, come hungry, dahlin!’ If you want to be so totally creeped out that you can’t sleep after seeing some of my evil stuff, well, I will be catering to your tastes as well. A veritable death salon with crudite. (Any time between November 20 and December 11, you can purchase a piece and get it for Christmas when the show comes down.)

All the work is priced simply: $120 for large pieces, $60 for small. Generally the large ones are in 16x20 frames, the small in 11x14 frames. I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of heavyweight textured paper lately, so you’ll see images printed on watercolor and rag papers. I really like the way they’ve turned out.

The Opening Reception will be Friday evening, 6-9 pm on November 20. Beer is free, as it should be in a perfect world, right? The counter will be open to purchase food and other drinks if you’d like. Come chat and we’ll trade death stories! Afterwords, you might even want to take a walk down the block through Weccacoe Playground.

Why would I suggest walking through a playground at night? Well, if you’ve been following the news, it was recently rediscovered that Weccacoe (near Fourth Street and Queen Lane) was built on top of a centuries-old African-American burial ground. Yes, there are thousands of graves under the blacktop. (Check my blog for the story: The Bones Beneath Us.)

Come see some art, eat, drink, and maybe have a paranormal experience right afterword. It’s a strange world, and its my job to keep it that way.

More of my work can be seen on my website, www.edsnyderphoto.com. Thank you, and good night. Oh, and as always – pleasant dreams!