45°
A new exhibition, “Accused: Fairfield’s Witchcraft Trials,” at the Fairfield Museum and History Center will give visitors the opportunity to learn more.
The exhibit will be officially opened with a Museum After Dark event, with wine and cheese provided, from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25. The opening is free and open to the public.
The exhibition, created by artist and illustrator Jakob Crane, tells the story of the witchcraft cases from the 1650s and 1690s, using graphic novel-style panels. During the opening, Crane will give a slide lecture about his graphic novel process, which he believes makes the stories more interesting than traditional historical documents.
Crane will also sign copies of his new graphic novel, "Lies in the Dust: A Tale of Remorse" from the Salem Witch Trials, published by Islandport Press.
Crane is the pen name of the author. He writes and illustrates children’s books, along with his graphic novels, and works as an exhibiting artist and a university professor. He was given a Connecticut State Fellowship Grant Award for his work in 2009, and was offered a professor position, heading the Illustration Focus in the bachelor-of-fine-arts program in 2011 at Frostburg State University in Maryland.
The Colonists’ belief in witchcraft originated in England and was based on folk traditions and Biblical stories. Witches were thought to be working for the devil, and causing problems such as injury and illness to weaken the Puritan society.
Women were perceived as being weaker and more likely to sinning, and consequently, the vast majority of people accused of witchcraft were women. Two were hanged in the 1650s in the Fairfield region, but the trials in the 1690s in the area did not lead to any deaths.
The “Accused” exhibition will run from Sept. 25 to Jan. 5. The museum is at 370 Beach Road. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and free for members of the museum and children.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Fairfield and receive free news updates.
