While the Nutshells draw from real cases, Lee imagined and designed each setting to resemble but not replicate the original scenes, embellishing them with elements from her imagination and the world she inhabited. In their astounding accuracy, they provide a window into the domestic history and material culture of mid-20th century America, particularly the lives of women and the working classes, whose cases Lee championed.
"Presenting the Nutshells not as forensics displays but as artworks allows us to highlight the subtly subversive quality of Frances Glessner Lee’s work," Atkinson said. "She focuses on 'invisible' members of society such as impoverished and female victims, and the details she included in her dioramas challenge the association of femininity with order and domestic bliss."
As the Nutshells are still active training tools, the solutions to each remain secret. However, the crime scene 'reports' given to forensic trainees will be presented alongside each diorama to encourage visitors to approach the Nutshells the way an investigator would. Lee's hyperreal constructions inspired contemporary artist and scenic designer Rick Araluce, whose immersive, large-scale installation is presented in the adjoining gallery.
Rick Aracluce: The Final Stop opens concurrently with Murder Is Her Hobby Oct. 20. Public Programs A series of public programs are planned in conjunction with the exhibition.
William Tyre, executive director of the Glessner House Museum, will discuss Glessner Lee’s life and impact on the world of forensics Saturday, Oct. 21, at 2 p.m. Atkinson will present in-gallery talks Wednesday, Oct. 25, and Wednesday, Nov. 15, at noon. Handi-hour, the museum's after-hours program featuring “crafting and craft beer,” will feature exhibition-themed crafts Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 5:30 (tickets $25).
The museum will host the premiere of the documentary Murder in a Nutshell: The Frances Glessner Lee Story by director Susan Marks Saturday, Nov. 18, at 5:30 p.m.
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