The Salem Art Gallery

ON VIEW NOVEMBER 16TH-JANUARY 10TH

HEXMAS is a Salem Art Gallery Exhibition that embraces the vast range of interpretations of Winter Holidays, including the Satanic Holiday, Sol Invictus, as well as many other winter myths and legends across the regions, throughout history. The Satanic Temple observes December 25th as Sol Invictus, a celebration of being unconquered by superstition and consistent in the pursuit and sharing of knowledge. The cult of Sol existed within Rome since its early days as a republic, and Invictus was an epithet used for Jupiter, Mars, and Apollo (among others). The festival celebrated these gods and may have also been used to celebrate the winter solstice.

ON VIEW SEPT 2-NOV 11TH (Extended to January 10th)

CROOK concerns those who hold great power over us as individuals, and who can freely lead us towards or away from salvation because of our position within their lives. Our history is full of ‘shepherds,’ leaders among us, for better or for worse, that herd us like cattle and steer us closer to their personalized agendas. Those who are influential can sway us with their guiding hand, and alter our overall decision-making, especially in our highly politicized modern world. CROOK showcases all manner of shepherds, both righteous and serpentine.

Scott Hayden is a New England based illustrator and writer that utilizes narrative to make sense of a world that can otherwise be enormous and terrifying. He believes that stories are not only how humans have communicated with one another for centuries, but are how we share our individual experiences, and empathize with those around us both past and present. Hayden recently graduated from Montserrat College of Art.