Alumna Maureen McCabe Featured in 55-year Retrospective at Connecticut Art Museum
Maureen McCabe, FATE (1986), Mixed media on slate, Courtesy of the artist. Photography credit: Paul Mutino.
Cranbrook Academy of Art alumna Maureen McCabe (MFA Design 1971) is the subject of Fate and Magic: The Art of Maureen McCabe, a retrospective exhibition at the William Benton Museum of Art on view through December 14, 2025.
The exhibition presents over six decades of McCabe’s work, exploring themes of fate and magic through assemblages and installations that intertwine folklore, literature, spiritualism, and myth. Featuring rarely seen works from her studio and private collections, the show highlights her fascination with magic paraphernalia — from tarot cards and Ouija boards to game boards and fortune-telling objects. McCabe’s pieces invite viewers into a poetic world filled with humor, wonder, and mystery.
Accompanying the exhibition is an illustrated catalogue with an essay by Amanda A. Douberley, Ph.D., Curator & Academic Liaison at the William Benton Museum of Art.
A collaborative event with the University of Connecticut Planetarium takes place on Friday, October 3 from 5:30 to 7pm. An artist’s lecture takes place on Sunday, November 1, from 3 to 5pm. Please see the William Benton Museum of Art website for details.
Learn more:
Fate and Magic: The Art of Maureen McCabe – William Benton Museum of Art
