“Show & Tale is a light, hilarious, fun, and deeply moving experience; a completely personal way of sharing that which makes everyone’s life a gem unto itself.”
– Winona Richardson, Gemologist
Once upon a time (& NOW more than ever), handwritten letters came in the mail — those we cherished were stored in an empty shoebox to preserve the memories. Photographs were printed, put in albums and our wallets, or hung on the wall. It was tactile, but today it’s a different experience. We scroll through screens, look past keyboards, leaving a feeling of separateness from those cherished memories and from other people.
Coming together and sharing stories is a centuries old tradition. Stories connect us and have the power to change lives. They help us better understand and navigate the human experience both individually and collectively. Research has also shown how valuable and important knowing one’s personal history is for an individual’s wellbeing and a family’s emotional health and happiness.
According to a New York Times article around a study conducted by Dr. Marshall Duke, Psychologist, Emory University in the 1990s, “The more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned. The ones who knew more about their families proved to be more resilient, meaning they could moderate the effects of stress.
Launched in 2012 by founder Martie McNabb, Show & Tale is about keeping the past alive in the present, informing the present with stories & things from the past while discovering how similar we are even when it doesn’t appear that way. Show & Tales are about building community and relationships over what some might call ‘stuff’ but to us holds a special place in our hearts, lives & spaces.
Participants bond together through the story behind a physical thing that serves as a “prop”, which offers us a little glimpse into the lives of one another.