We hope to see you this Friday for our Grand Reopening celebration from 5 to 9pm. Our new home is located in the Alley Shops at the beautiful Bauer Building located at 115 W. 18th Street. The shop is tucked away on the back side of the building, up a cute little staircase. It’s easily accessible from both W. 18th street and W. 19th so feel free to park on either side. The Bauer was our first home and we are so honored to return. The shop looks perfect and we can’t wait to share it with you all. If you’ve been to our old space then the street will be very familiar to you. Just travel to W. 18th street like you always did, find the Bauer Building on the other side of the street and then follow the yellow stones painted on the sidewalk. We are also easily accessible to Papa Keno’s pizza patio, so there are really good free smells. Also, we’re even closer to Mildred’s than before which was an unexpected perk. See you at the party!
{ Witch Club }
We are super proud to introduce our newest subscription offering, Witch Club! This membership is perfect for people with a personal spiritual practice and/or who regularly use sage, palo santo, candles, resins, incense, crystals or other symbolic trinkets. For $25 a month we will send out hand selected items specific to the season and lunar cycle for you to integrate and use as support in your own craft. Witch Club rules, y'all! To read more about it or to sign up online, visit us here!
For those of you who are new to our site and shop, you may be interested to know that we offer two other kinds of subscription memberships as well!
Curio Of The Month - This membership is $25 a month and is wonderful for new collectors of natural science specimens. We offer a wide variety of items in this subscription, perfect for someone who is looking to expand their cabinet of curiosities! For more information on this offering, you can check it out here!
Arcana's Bug Club - Kansas City's only bug club is also $25 a month! Arcana's Bug Club subscription is excellent for budding entomologist, we send one or more specimens for you to spread, preserve and frame yourself! You can read more about it here - and If you don't know how to spread and frame insects and butterflies, we offer classes and workshops teaching you exactly how to preserve and display your beautiful specimens! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to hear all about our upcoming class schedules, or if you prefer you can always check our events calendar on this site, here!
{ Open Sundays! }
Hi Y'all - just a quick announcement about our end of summer business hours, we have expanded them! Friday and Saturday we are open from 11:00 am - 7:00 pm. and Sundays from 11:00am - 3:00pm - come say hi and check out our excellent selection of natural science specimens, taxidermy, framed insects and butterflies, skeleton articulations, skulls, bones, crystals, sage (and witchy shit)!!
Felicien Rops
{ Meet Ash MIyagawa }
I don't know what we did to deserve having such awesome people in our shop, but we struck pure gold with Ash Miyagawa - an artist, illustrator and science-enthusiast! Her work is badass and we want her to move in and stay with us forever. (We aren't creepy).
Ash Miyagawa, ink 2014-2015
ORACLE - What is your background? (this can be anything you wish to share; hometown, education, age, work experience before Oracle, etc)
ASH MIYAGAWA - I'm a 22 year old from Chicago, IL. I'm currently in my last semester at the Kansas City Art Institute, and I'm probably the only barista in the world who is not a morning person (which is what I do to pay for cat food when I'm not at Oracle).
O - What is your area of study/focus?
AM - Illustration and Printmaking, with a focus in scientific illustration.
O - What are your interests?
AM - The entirety of the natural world (but especially botany), nonfiction books & essays, eating A+ peaches (they're so rare) and finding very high places.
Ash Miyagawa, Ink + Digital, 2015
O - What is your favorite thing to do at Oracle?
AM - I really like getting to help with projects like the jawbone talismans or the wet specimens, but I really love deep cleaning the place. It gives me a quiet time to reflect on things and fall in love with all the organic shapes all over again. I always feel better when I finish.
O - Very important, serious and professional question, what is your favorite snack?
AM - (Very specifically) That dehydrated "just mango- no sulfates!" dried mango from Trader Joes. I could live on just that.
O - What is your best, post-apocalyptic/pioneer-type skill?
AM - Based on past experience, I've found that I'm part cockroach when it comes to dealing with difficult times, so that. My cockroach-like tendencies.
Ash Miyagawa, Ink 2014
You can check out more of Ash Miyagawa's excellent work here - or better yet, go have a wonderful snack/breakfast/lunch/coffee/tea at Mildred's Coffeehouse and see her work in person!!
{ Meet Christina Maki - and Helga! }
Christina putting some final touches on her first articulation, a badger (aptly named Helga) while flying Hufflepuff colors, BECAUSE AWESOME.
Christina Maki, a professional photographer, began her apprenticeship with Alessandra Dzuba (aka Bone Wizard) in October 2015. Her apprenticeship began with a daunting project - to assist Alessandra as she sorted and articulated the bones of a 16ft long python.
This guy was NO JOKE. But lookie how beautiful it is!
Luckily for us, the project known as Operation Basilisk did not deter Christina, who has since moved on to working on several projects for Oracle, including - but not limited to - her very own articulated Badger!
We don't list a fondness for Harry Potter or a tolerance for salty language among our prerequisites here at Oracle, but we are delighted when lovely people such as Christina come our way and we are lucky to have her in our little coven!
Check out Christina's awsome Tumblr at augustbones.com
{ Scheduled Programming Resumes January 5th }
We can't wait to see you... Back open from the holidays on Tues, 5th. Happy New Year from all of us!
Don't worry folks, this one is a live and kickin'!