What can a five-foot-long magic scroll tell us about early modern fears, beliefs, and the people who sought protection through cunning folk? Sara Lent Frier, Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, joins Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack to explore her exhibition "Cunning Folk: Witchcraft, Magic, and Occult Knowledge."

Sara walks us through this collection show, which draws from both the Cantor Arts Center and Stanford's Green Library to present rare artifacts from the early modern period, roughly 1500 to 1750. The exhibit also features contemporary California artists whose work responds directly to that history, creating a conversation across centuries.

In this episode:

What cunning folk were and the roles they played in early modern communities 

How the Cantor Arts Center brought together artifacts and contemporary art in a single exhibition 

The stories behind objects including magic scrolls and a miniature bureau connected to the Salem witch trials 

What Stanford's collections reveal about the intersection of magic, medicine, and knowledge in early modern Europe 

How contemporary artists are engaging with this history today

Whether you are a historian, an art lover, or someone drawn to the deeper history of witchcraft accusations and occult belief, this conversation offers a rare look at objects that survived centuries and the scholars keeping their stories alive.

The Thing About Witch Hunts is hosted by Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack.

Learn more at endwitchhunts.org and aboutwitchhunts.com.

Links

View Cunning Folk Exhibit Cantor Arts Center

🎥 Watch more on YouTube: youtube.com/@aboutwitchhunts

🌐 Learn more about our work on historical and contemporary witchcraft accusations at endwitchhunts.org