{ New Location Guide }

We’ve been in our new shop for about a month now and we love the new space. We celebrated our Grand Reopening on April First Friday with our friends and community. We participated in the W 18th Street Block Party and it was a hit! We look forward to more events like that in the future.

If you haven’t been to the new shop yet or if you are an out of town guest we are super easy to find! When you arrive on W 18th street you will see the front of the Bauer Machine Works Building. From the front you can access our friends at For Strange Women, Foxtrot Supply Co., Dear Society, the second-floor studios, and the Hair Parlour. You cannot access our shop from the front entrance. To find us, you are going to want to look for the Alley Shops located to your right if you are facing the building. As you go down the alley you will see our neighbors Coki Bijoux and Kanso and then you’ll find us right around the corner! Our door is located on the back side of the building. We are also accessible from 19th street and the Papa Keno’s Patio. 

Make sure to visit our alley way friends & neighbors - especially Papa Keno’s patio that we share
across the way for some great late night snacks

{ Aromatic Resins Workshop }

For Strange Women is setting up in Oracle for yet another amazing workshop!
Dec 8th :: 6 - 8pm

This workshop will be held at Oracle Natural Science (Kansas City, MO) on Saturday December 8th from 6-8 pm. 

In this two-hour session you will be introduced to a variety of aromatic tree resins. Jill will demonstrate several ways to incorporate them into your sensory rituals and personal care, including tinctures, infused water, loose incense methods, smoke enfleurage, and a healing salve that we will make together and everyone will take home. 

Feel free to stay after the session to purchase aromatic resins that will be available at the new FSWxOracle resin bar. Jill will also stay to answer questions.

*There are a limited number of seats available. Cancellations/refunds not available except in the case of inclement weather.

{ Unnatural Wedding }

We had the pleasure of being a part of Natalie & David's wedding, a little un-natural history museum sort of way wedding. Natalie has been a collector of specimens for her whole life, always gravitating towards insects and bird taxidermy. So when she approached us to make some centerpieces, we couldn't see how to decorate her a wedding any other way. 

Paper Sun Photography captured the beauty and Fat Plant Society worked with us on the centerpieces, providing the moss and helping us stage the environment for each table. They turned out beautifully! No table nor specimen were alike, which gave the guests the feeling of walking into a personal museum. 

 

Natalie had requested our double framed specimens, which we made her a special batch for her rental along with spread specimens to nestle around the moss and other tables...

One high traffic areas, we made sure that the unframed specimens were safe... but at the end of the night, Natalie had planned to give those specimens to her bridesmaids! What great little additions to anyones curio cabinet (jealous)

 

{ Upcoming Taxidermy Classes x2!!}

We are so excited to announce... We had to add more classes because the classes below sold out within 48hours! So exciting guys! Glad to see so many people are as excited about these classes and for the talented Mickey Alice Kwapis coming to Oracle! So, what did we add??:

Raccoon class with some exciting techniques on how to professionally taxidermy your own shoulder mount... skinning, fleshing, the whole deal... learning how to do mammal taxidermy can be hard, but Mickey will talk us through it (and once you learn how to do raccoon, it is pretty easy to bring that knowledge to other taxidermy projects)! Then her final class is a Cabinet of Curiosities class, where students will learn a little of everything; starting with wet specimens, botany with pressing flowers, and then finish off by identifying and dissecting an owl pellet. This is a great classes for anyone who has been fascinated with a little bit of everything... and you get two great specimens for your curio collection ;)

Raccoon Taxidermy
Saturday, July 7th from 12 pm to 3 pm
Deposit $200 (total $400)

Cabinet of Curiosities
Sunday, July 8th from 12pm to 2pm
Deposit $50 (total $150)

 

{ Upcoming Taxidermy Classes at Oracle! }

We are so excited to announce… Mickey Alice Kwapis coming to Oracle:
 

 

Mickey has taught classes here at Oracle before, a beautifully thought out workshop that she has taught for years all around North America. Last time we saw her here in Kansas City, she taught us how to press and preserve flowers, wet specimens, and an array of taxidermy classes... which was so inspiring to watch all the thoughtfully posed and well preserved wet specimens our students went home with! But for those of you who don't know her just yet, here is a little quick peak from her website about this lovely talented lady; 

"Hey there! I'm Mickey. I'm a Midwestern taxidermist and craftsperson. Born and raised in Michigan, I took an interest in nature and biology from an early age. My obsession with animals, coupled with a desire to hold onto tangible memories, led to an unexpected intersection. My passion for taxidermy was discovered one night with a dead squirrel, a bottle of wine, and an old biology textbook. I have been working in the taxidermy industry since March of 2012 and I'm recognized internationally for my pop-up taxidermy workshops for beginners. Additionally, I have practiced metalsmithing since 2004 and create handmade, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces inspired by natural history and the occult.

I practice sustainable taxidermy methods, am a member of the National Taxidermists Association, and have worked, volunteered, and taught at museums and universities all over the world. Last year I won a third-place ribbon for my peacock (his name is Kevin) at the NTA National Championships. I have also served as a consultant to novelist Lauren Beukes for the award-winning book Broken Monsters. You can read a bunch of articles and watch a bunch of short documentaries about my work here. My lectures are primarily targeted towards those with an interest in biology, science, and natural history and focus on the role taxidermy plays in understanding the past, present, and future of our ecosystem. I reside in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago with four living pets and a whole lot of dead ones.

Want to know more? Read my FAQ. Interested in seeing photos of the taxidermy process? Follow along on Instagram."

 

*Also stick around for July First Friday - Mickey will be showing off and selling her work and her jewelry during our First Friday Crossroads Artwalk! Join us Friday July 6th, 6-9pm for some beverages, art, and a good time!