Skull Currency is another way of saying that our thoughts have value. Each life is measured within the skull of the one who lives it. My potato skull prints merge several traditions of ancestor veneration into irreverent portraits of what we will all someday become. They also investigate the custom of marking our bills of commerce with the faces of our most valued ancestors.

— Ana Vizcarra Rankin, 2013 

Philadelphia Open Studio Tour
October 5th and 6th noon-5pm

Potato Print Workshop
Sunday October 6th 4-6pm

2nd Thursday opening reception
October 10th 6-9pm

Calavera is the word for skull in Spanish, and the most familiar symbol of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), a holiday that pays homage to the lives of the deceased, and which is widely celebrated throughout Latinamerican culture. Calaveras appear everywhere during the holiday and are almost always portrayed as enjoying life, often in fancy clothes and entertaining situations.

Joss Paper, also known as ghost money, are sheets of paper that are made into burnt offerings on holidays and special occasions in traditional Asian rituals including the veneration of ancestors. The silver and gold leaf on the paper symbolizes wealth and well being.

Apples, and specifically a golden apple, appear in various folk legends across continents. Golden apples alternatively symbolize divine food, or a practical joke meant to cause cognitive dissonance. In essence, they are a symbolic "food for thought".