ABOUT

The Easthampton Alphabet

26 illustrations of found historical stories that were exhibited in another location. Each story corresponds to a letter of the alphabet with an illustration of the story above it becoming the “Easthampton Alphabet.” The paintings and collages vary stylistically and the stories range from quirky to poignant.

The Easthampton Alphabet was featured in the Valley Advocate.
"They recall Edward Gorey’s work at times, at other times kids’ books. In a lot of images, that approach melds perfectly with the lightness of the subject matter. Two women breezily bike in one, and the accompanying story tells of their being intercepted (in 1940) by a policeman in Yonkers, who stopped them for wearing shorts."
"In other frames, though, subject matter and aesthetic style clash to create a sense of unease. Even when Maxey is doing the expected, she ends up complicating matters in a really interesting way. The frame of one drawing is full of bright blocks of color, and the story is not readily apparent: a shirtless boy lurks between very large chickens. Whimsy does not follow—the boy, says the newspaper article, is a 16-year-old who was forced to sleep in a chicken coop and eat what was left over once the chickens finished eating, all because of the reported hatred of his stepmother."

– James Heflin, Valley Advocate, ABCD Easthampton