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“There’s an inspiring and wacky solemnity in these organizations—high values reinforced through pageantry and performance in an ecumenical social setting—which deep down must also have been a whole lot of fun. Now it’s as if that foundational Other America, that underpinning of the America we know, has gradually eroded, and here we remain, living in a world that is a mere shell, a movie set, of the world that made our world manifest, that brought it into being, and all we have left are these perplexing masks, banners, and costumes to puzzle over.”
—David Byrne, from the foreword
Featuring more than two hundred outstanding objects gathered from private and public collections, As Above, So Below provides the first comprehensive survey of the rich vein of art created during the “golden age” of the American fraternal society. By the turn of the twentieth century, an estimated 70,000 local lodges affiliated with hundreds of distinct American fraternal societies claimed a combined five and a half million members. It has been estimated that at least 20 percent of the American adult male population belonged to one or more fraternal orders, including the two largest groups, the Freemasons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The esoteric knowledge, visual symbols, and moral teachings revealed to lodge brothers during secret rituals inspired an abundant and expressive body of objects that form an important facet of American folk art.
Lynne Adele and Bruce Lee Webb introduce the reader to fraternal societies and explore the function and meaning of fraternal objects, including paintings and banners, costumes and ceremonial regalia, ritual objects, and an array of idiosyncratic objects that represent a grassroots response to fraternalism. Setting the art in historical context, the authors examine how fraternal societies contributed to American visual culture during this era of burgeoning fraternal activity. Simultaneously entertaining and respectful of the fraternal tradition, As Above, So Below opens lodge room doors and invites the reader to explore the compelling and often misunderstood works from the golden age of fraternity, once largely forgotten and now coveted by collectors.
- Sales Rank: #140355 in Books
- Published on: 2015-11-15
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 11.00" h x 1.25" w x 9.00" l, 1.50 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 288 pages
Review
"There’s an inspiring and wacky solemnity in these organizations―high values reinforced through pageantry and performance in an ecumenical social setting―which deep down must also have been a whole lot of fun. Now it’s as if that foundational Other America, that underpinning of the America we know, has gradually eroded, and here we remain, living in a world that is a mere shell, a movie set, of the world that made our world manifest, that brought it into being, and all we have left are these perplexing masks, banners, and costumes to puzzle over." (David Byrne, from the foreword)
Review
"There’s an inspiring and wacky solemnity in these organizations—high values reinforced through pageantry and performance in an ecumenical social setting—which deep down must also have been a whole lot of fun. Now it’s as if that foundational Other America, that underpinning of the America we know, has gradually eroded, and here we remain, living in a world that is a mere shell, a movie set, of the world that made our world manifest, that brought it into being, and all we have left are these perplexing masks, banners, and costumes to puzzle over." (David Byrne, from the foreword)
About the Author
Lynne Adele, an independent art historian with an extensive art museum and commercial art gallery background, has specialized in the work of self-taught, folk, and outsider artists for more than twenty-five years. She has written and contributed to numerous exhibition catalogs, books, and journals on American folk art; her exhibition catalog Spirited Journeys: Self-Taught Texas Artists of the Twentieth Century has become a standard reference in the field.
Bruce Lee Webb has been a collector of fraternal objects for more than twenty-five years. He is a 32º Scottish Rite Mason, Royal Arch Mason, Cryptic Mason, and Knight Templar; he is also an Odd Fellow and is a Royal Purple degree member of the Odd Fellows Encampment. He has been initiated into the Order of the Eastern Star, the Rebekahs, and the Knights of Pythias. He and his wife Julie own Webb Gallery, which specializes in the work of self-taught, folk, and outsider artists.
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As reviewed in Philalethes: The Journal of Masonic Research & Letters, Vol. 69, No. 1
By S. Eyer
One aspect of the Craft that seems to be equally compelling to initiates and to the public is the material culture of Freemasonry. This has given rise to a number of exhibits in recent memory, such as Theatre of the Fraternity (1996). The 2011 Austin, Texas, exhibit As Above, So Below featured the extensive fraternal collection of Bruce Lee Webb, who has amassed one of the most impressive private collections of such items in the country.
The eponymous book, coauthored with art historian Lynne Adelle, brings that 2011 exhibit to a wider audience. As Above, So Below is lavishly produced: a large square hardcover with hundreds of full color photographs and admirable typography. The University of Texas Press did an excellent job in bringing this text to light.
The title of the exhibit and the book is an allusion to the ancient mystical sentiment of reciprocity between the divine and human worlds. The authors state that it "not only imparts the idea that the spiritual realm is mirrored in the physical world," but that it also "suggests that things that appear very different can actually be quite similar, and that by studying one, we can understand the other."
The work is not strictly limited to the artwork of the Freemasons. Also included are the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Speculative Woodcraft, the Improved Order of Red Men, and the Grange. As the collection focuses on American fraternalism specifically, the items depicted generally exclude examples of Masonic art from across the Atlantic. Webb's collection comprises banners, aprons, scepters, picture frames, clocks, costumes, furniture, magic lantern slides, and more. These are described in a way that is enriched by his personal knowledge as a member of both the Masons and the Odd Fellows. The detailed photography of the items makes the book a pleasure to browse, and many of the items found here will be new to even experienced students of the subject. All such students will find this new book essential.
Not to be overlooked is the foreword by David Byrne, singer and songwriter of the 1970s new wave band, Talking Heads, who writes:
I'm old enough to remember when lodges'.'.'.'were a presence in every small town across America. ['.'.'.'] What went on behind those closed doors? Was there another America behind the America that we knew? Were there hidden levers in these organization that secretly controlled the powers that be? Was our world a mere glossy façade, while the "real" world and "real" decisions affecting it were happening in those grand and imposing buildings just off Main Street[?] And how did these two Americas intersect? Were there places where one world could flow into the other?
Byrne describes collecting fraternal objects covered in symbolism that fascinated him: all-seeing eyes, beehives, the Ark of the Covenant, stalks of wheat, etc. He found that these symbols "resonated" despite his not knowing "the official meanings." Consulting books, he could not escape the conclusion that the essence of these symbols was the obscuring layers of meaning they can convey. And he writes that he learned to appreciate the unique social space and community enhancement that American fraternities provided: "I'm envious; what do we have now? I have a network of friends and associates, but a weekly hang with the butcher, the baker, and the guys from the local IT startup? Doesn't happen. And can you imagine me suggesting to my local bank manager that he and I put on some freaky outfits, and that he should hold the fake sword and I'll hold the staff with the snake on it? ['.'.'.'] Maybe we're missing something with the stuff fading out of our culture. Making odd and inspiring stuff that a cross section of the local community uses in a social situation—who does that now? It must have been a wonderful feeling."
Byrne laments that "all we have left are these perplexing masks, manners, and costumes to puzzle over." It is mournfully true that during the twentieth century we did relinquish a lot of our heritage, and allowed too much of our material culture to gather dust and become perceived as only artifactual: Masons look at quality Masonic tableware or beautiful Masonic aprons from earlier times and think of them as things that the Fraternity "used to" have. This is true as far as it goes, but it often joins up with an implicit feeling that all such things must be in the past: we "used to" have impressive and symbolically rich handcrafted aprons, we "used to" have tableware worthy of a festive board—as though some irresistible force prevents the production of such items in our day. Of course, that force does not exist, except in the minds of those who believe in it. And only by leaving it behind—as many thankfully have—will our generation of Freemasons leave behind a material culture worthy of future ages to collect in similar exhibit books.
The fact that Adele and Webb employed the past tense for consistency when discussing all of the societies in the book, "even though they may still be functioning today," reinforces the impression of Masonry as a thing of the past. While it is a respectable editorial decision in light of the nature of the collection, a reader who misses the above statement may get the wrong impression. It is up to the American Freemasons of today to ensure that, far from being a thing only of the past, the longstanding Masonic custom of producing works of arts and crafts is revitalized and expanded. As Above, So Below reminds us that there is a timeless aspect in our special fraternal world, and that our entry to that secret place is right next door.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Not quite melancholia but close....
By Ed King
For me, this book left a feeling of sadness. Looking at the pictures of 'lost history' with the many fraternal organizations struggling to find a meaningful continuance, it's impossible not to recall days when politicians were (more or less) civil (except for canings, duels, etc.), when acceptance of others wasn't such a dividing line (or did I forget segregation and religious wars?) and when the cares of the world could be forgotten in the world of the lodge (but only by ignoring all sorts of petty piques and quarrels). Reading and staring at the pictures, I was reminded of the Bettman book, "The Good Old Days: They Were Terrible" (YOU SHOULD READ THAT TOO!) where actuality and remembrance are two completely different things. This is a large, heavy book: not a 'full' coffee table size but darn close. If you have friends over, it's something to leave out for them to browse thru as it can certainly stimulate conversation, perhaps some of it uninformed and offensive as I found out. Lots to talk about but obviously doesn't have all the detail that a 10,000 page book could have.... (sigh)
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
As beautiful as it is interesting
By Stephen E. Nagy
Beautifully designed and illustrated coffee table book. Thanks for shedding a bit of light into "secret" societies.
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