Dark History Paint Night: Body Snatchers

Art. History. Some Secrets Should Stay Buried.

Step into the darker side of history for an immersive creative experience unlike our traditional paint parties.

For this installment of our Dark History Paint Night series, we're traveling back to a time when the study of human anatomy was advancing rapidly — but the legal supply of bodies available to medical schools couldn't keep up with demand.

The solution created a shadowy trade.

Under the cover of darkness, resurrectionists entered cemeteries, opened freshly dug graves, and supplied medical schools with the bodies they desperately needed for anatomical study.

It was illegal. It was profitable. And it became an uncomfortable chapter in the history of modern medicine.

We'll explore what happened when scientific progress collided with morality.

Your Dark History Experience

During this special two-hour experience, you'll:

✦ Create your own miniature medical library and cabinet of curiosities

◆ Paint and assemble a dimensional wooden bookshelf, choosing from two project sizes

♠ Create tiny books using miniature printed covers and wooden book pieces

♣ Paint and arrange little bottles, jars, and other mysterious embellishments

❖ Discover the fascinating and unsettling history of body snatching, resurrectionists, and 19th-century anatomical study

✦ Explore uncomfortable questions about science, ethics, and who ultimately paid the price for medical progress

No artistic experience is needed! We'll guide you through the creative process while leaving plenty of room to make your miniature collection uniquely yours.

Choose Your Creative Experience

We're offering two project options, so you can choose the experience that fits your interests and budget.

Full Layered Art Project — $59

Create our signature dimensional hexagon display, featuring a miniature medical library filled with tiny books, bottles, jars, and curious little specimens.

With more shelves, miniature pieces, and decorative details, you'll have plenty of opportunities to build your own mysterious collection.

Miniature Bookshelf Project — $25

Love the idea of creating a tiny cabinet of curiosities? Our smaller, ornament-sized bookshelf offers the same hands-on creative fun in a more compact design!

You'll paint and assemble your own miniature bookshelf, create tiny books with printed covers, and add a selection of wooden embellishments to bring your little collection to life.

Both projects include all supplies, creative guidance, and the complete Dark History storytelling experience.

What's on the Shelves?

Books. Bottles. Medical curiosities. Perhaps something you can't quite identify.

Whether you choose the full hexagon display or the smaller bookshelf, you'll create your own miniature collection inspired by the medical libraries and anatomy rooms of the 19th century.

Choose your books. Paint your shelves. Add bottles, jars, and strange little details.

No two collections need to be exactly alike.

And some of the objects may make a little more sense once you hear the story behind them.

When Science Needed Bodies

By the 18th and early 19th centuries, anatomical study had become an increasingly important part of medical education.

There was one significant problem:

Medical schools needed bodies to teach anatomy — and there weren't enough legally available.

That shortage created an underground market for human remains and gave rise to the men known as resurrectionists, or body snatchers.

Throughout the afternoon, we'll explore how the trade worked, why it became so widespread, who was most vulnerable, and how public outrage eventually helped change the laws surrounding anatomical study.

And along the way, we'll consider a much harder question:

How far should we be willing to go in the name of progress?

Event Details

Sunday, November 8, 2026

3:00–5:00 PM

The Stoat — Granite Falls

104 E Stanley St, Granite Falls, WA

21+ only

Advance registration required. Select your preferred project option when booking.

TBD 

Barley Pop — Snohomish

1208 10th St, Snohomish, WA

All Ages

Your Registration Includes

Your selected laser-cut wooden bookshelf project, miniature wooden books and printed covers, decorative embellishments, paints, adhesives, finishing materials, step-by-step creative guidance, and the complete Dark History storytelling experience.

Just bring yourself — we'll bring everything else!

Come for the Art. Stay for the Story.

This isn't a history lecture, and it isn't quite a traditional paint night.

It's an afternoon of creativity, storytelling, and a fascinating look at a time when the pursuit of medical knowledge led people into some very dark places.

Space is limited. Choose your project, reserve your seat, and join us for another chapter of Dark History Paint Night.

Dark History Paint Night explores real historical events that may include themes of death, grave robbing, human remains, medical dissection, and other difficult subjects. The history of body snatching and anatomical study will be presented thoughtfully and respectfully.