"Here Lyeth: Grave Rubbings by Ann Parker and Avon Neal" presents a compelling look at a mid-20th century effort to document early American gravestone art through the practice of grave rubbing. Featuring over 20 original grave rubbings by photographer Ann Parker and multimedia artist Avon Neal, the exhibition highlights a unique artistic tradition that is both historically grounded and visually striking.

Drawn entirely from the Museum’s collection, "Here Lyeth" presents a body of material created during the couple’s Ford Foundation-supported travels throughout New England in the 1960s. Working as husband-and-wife collaborators, Parker and Neal visited Colonial-era burial grounds to capture carved imagery that was rapidly deteriorating from age and exposure. Using rice paper and ink-soaked pads, the artists produced three portfolios containing forty-five gravestone rubbings that record key motifs and symbols that illuminate early American beliefs about life, memory, and mortality.

The exhibition offers visitors a rare opportunity to see these original works up close for the first time in over 50 years. Although based on 17th- and 18th-century carvings, the rubbings appear surprisingly modern. Bold shapes, geometric forms, and imperfections of the weathered stone create compositions that feel timeless, while preserving imagery from the past. Ranging widely in size and format, the works demonstrate both the diversity of New England gravestone art and the artists’ careful engagement with the medium.