Careers

Need a new skill? Got a rodent problem? Take a taxidermy class

Learn to make art out of this guy! Via flickr user P_Breen
Learn to make art out of this guy! Via flickr user P_Breen

Do you feel like your job fails to provide you with a motivating creative outlet? Do you feel it’s time to invest in an exciting, hands-on career that will help you truly give back to society? Have you been looking for a way to put that family of mice that lives behind your oven to good use? Well, the Brooklyn Paper found now a mouse taxidermy class that you can take, and accomplish all these things for a mere $110! Isn’t the modern artisanal world wonderful?

Divya Anantharaman is a Pratt-educated Brooklyn artist with a particular interest in stuffing dead animals and turning them into pretty things; now, she’s teaching a taxidermy class at Acme Studio in Williamsburg, so you can start peppering your house with dancing rodents and other fun formaldehyde creations. Anatharaman provides the mice—she gets them from the snake-food industry—along with accessories like doll clothes, books, glasses, miniature dining sets and tiny flowers. And she’ll show you all the ins and outs of the trade, like dissecting animals, removing entrails and manipulating the teensy dead bodies so the little guys look like they’re doing gymnastics on top of your bookcase. “It takes a lot of time and patience and having a steady hand,” Anantharaman told Brooklyn Paper. “But it’s not tedious. It’s more fun than that.” Sounds like a blast!

The class is a one-time event, to be held on March 30th at 1 p.m., and it’s $110 per person to attend. But what’s a hundred bucks for a chance to rival Chuck Testa, taxidermist extraordinaire? Try not to stuff Grandma.

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