Major Arcana: Witches in America is a collection of portraits by Frances F. Denny of women from across the United States who identify as witches. The series is on view through November 24, 2018, at ClampArt in New York City. Each woman photographed for Major Arcana pursues a form of witchcraft, whether aligned with a religion (like Wicca or Voudou) or a self-defined practice. Many consider themselves pagan and engage in a diversity of traditions like mysticism, engagement with the occult, politically-oriented activism, polytheism, ritualized “spell-craft,” and plant-based healing.
Denny’s interest in modern-day witches began when she discovered that her 8th great-grandmother was accused of witchcraft in 1674 in Northampton, Massachusetts, and that nearly twenty years later, in 1692, her 10th great-grandfather presided as a judge in the Salem Witch Trials. Denny writes, “[T]his ancestral coincidence stayed with me. What is a witch? Who does that word belong to—now?”
In pursuit of her answer, Denny traveled coast-to-coast, meeting and photographing witches of diverse backgrounds. The historical oppression of those who practiced (or were merely accused of practicing) witchcraft is widely known; as early as 15th century Europe, those condemned as witches faced torture and even death. Yet recent decades have seen a reclaiming of the word “witch,” a term that has now been adopted by a diverse group of people. “Major Arcana reflects that spectrum, re-framing the witch as a feminist archetype as well as the contemporary embodiment of a defiant, unsanctioned femininity,” writes ClampArt in a statement. “Today, as the current wave of feminism crests, one characterized by political activism, #metoo, and intersectionality—not to mention a certain cultural trendiness—witchcraft is suddenly relevant again to the mainstream.”
“Major Arcana: Witches in America”
By Frances F. Denny
ClampArt
Through November 24, 2018
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