So I checked out the Masonic and Odd Fellow folk art exhibit ("Mystery and Benevolence") at the museum of folk art last Saturday. My husband, a Mason, is very into secret societies, and was eager to go with. Sadly, the Odd Fellows had cooler occult imagery. The robe above was worn during one of the rituals in the late 1800s. It is pretty awesome. Full description, if you are interested:
Masons also perform plays (though of course I've never seen one.) My husband has practiced for them though. They give him a little booklet in "code" to read from, but you can kind of sort of fgre t ut. Thy jst rmove a fw ltrs.
Here is a masonic quilt, which is done in a traditional cheerful quilt...you'd almost think this was for a kid's bedroom and not a secret society.
So the Masons have square and compasses, but the Odd Fellows have these cool hands for ritual staffs.
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| impressive embroidery |
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| this was a rug |
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| odd fellows. They seem to have cooler stuff |
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| odd fellows |
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| this was a paper cutout. very cool. Oddfellows |
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| a not so secret handshake? |
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| odd fellow |
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| So it seems the odd fellows also have aprons |
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| Masonic apron |
It was a cool exhibit. I'm usually not a fan of folk art (cause it usually looks like something someone would do for their high school art class), but I feel like it's best expressed in these sorts of situations: untrained artists who create something decorative because they were compelled to. These were guys in a social club, not Artists with a capital A.
The Masonic stuff was kind of lacking, though I feel like this is because many Masonic halls have their own museum. The one in Philadelphia was particularly impressive--that one had George Washington's apron and and many other cool things. But the Odd Fellows stuff was cool. I like the hand and chains and eyes more than the square and compasses.
