Alchemy of a Blackbird invites us to approach art not simply as something to witness but as something to work with: a place to follow intuition, make unexpected connections, and remain open to the possibility that there is more than we know. This exhibition brings together works by more than fifteen international artists and practitioners working across drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation, alongside important historical figures Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Pamela Colman Smith. Inspired by Claire McMillan’s novel of the same name, the exhibition traces unexpected connections among artists separated by generations, geography, and artistic practice, revealing overlooked lineages often shaped by women artists or private practices often left out of popular artistic discourse.

At the heart of the exhibition is tarot—here examined as a creative and cerebral tool for self-discovery, storytelling, and psychological exploration, rather than a system of fixed predictions. Tarot provides both a subject and a structure through which artists consider symbols, mythology, spirituality, and the mysteries of human experience.

Organized in thematic clusters, Alchemy of a Blackbird brings artists into conversation across time. A selection of Cleveland School artists joins this constellation, their work resonating with the exhibition’s themes of intuition and magic. Several new commissions and first-time museum presentations further expand these connections.

Across the exhibition, artists share a fascination with the materials and processes of metamorphosis: turning substances, objects, images, and ideas from one state into another. In this sense, the making of art itself becomes a transcendent act—turning ordinary objects and materials into something else charged with new meaning.

The works gathered here move across alchemy, divination, mythology, witchcraft, and spiritual inquiry. Each artist brings a distinct relationship to the magical, whether through ritual and symbolism, material experimentation, intuition, or an openness to forces that resist explanation or articulation. In combination, their works suggest that art can provide access to forms of knowledge beyond what is rational or readily visible. Ultimately, Alchemy of a Blackbird is

a proposition that art can be a conduit for changing how we see ourselves and the world around us.

Alchemy Of A Blackbird is curated by DJ Hellerman, Deputy Director & Senior Curator, and Claire McMillan, novelist.