Conventional Wisdom by Arthur Drooker

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"In sameness there is wackiness. Over three years Arthur Drooker trekked around the U.S. to document extreme enthusiasts and true believers at conventions and trade shows, from ventriloquist gatherings to clown conclaves to bondage festivities. What seems amusing or bizarre to the uninitiated is comfort for cultists."

    "Conventional Wisdom proves that regardless of what they’re about, where they’re held, or who attends them, all conventions satisfy a basic human urge: a longing to belong. Those who share similar interests, even obsessions, come together to be themselves, while forging new relationships and joining a larger community."

    "Why do people participate in unusual gatherings of Santa Clauses and furry cartoon characters? Arthur Drooker has travelled to meeting halls around the United States to photograph people who share the same obsessions. He says it's all about the need to belong. His photos are in a new book, Conventional Wisdom, published by Glitterati."

    "From mermaids and mermen to furries, from Santas to fetishists, this offers hobbyists a platform to share their fandom with hundreds of like-minded individuals - and, thanks to American photographer Arthur Drooker , with us. Snapper Drooker's travelled across the US to ten of the quirkiest conventions he can find and chronicled the results in his new book, Conventional Wisdom."

      "For his new book Conventional Wisdom, published this week by Glitterati, Arthur Drooker traveled around the country to photograph large-scale gatherings of specialized enthusiasts, at events ranging from the wholesome International Brotherhood of Real Bearded Santas to the more lurid Fetishcon."

        "Photographer Arthur Drooker has been a long time observer of these cultures and has just released a new book,Conventional Wisdom, published by Glitterati, that celebrates the odd, the original, and the outrageous."

          "There are more than a million conventions every year across the US, where likeminded people gather to share their passion for subjects as varied as varied as clowns, Abe Lincoln and taxidermy. Arthur Drooker is a longtime observer of these annual gatherings, and has released a new book, Conventional Wisdom, published by Glitterati."

            "Conventional Wisdom proves that regardless of what they’re about, where they’re held, or who attends them, all conventions satisfy a basic human urge: a longing to belong. Those who share similar interests, even obsessions, come together to be themselves, while forging new relationships and joining a larger community."

              "If Drooker chose the 10 conventions he attended with a view to their finery-and-freak-on potential... he seems a bit more sympathetic to the motivations of the attendees, and to their humanity, regardless of costume. His sharp eye and generosity of spirit both show clearly in the photographs reproduced"








                        "[Conventional Wisdom is a] new book that offers a sensitive exploration of 10 quirky and highly photogenic conventions." 

                        “Revelling in taxidermy, getting together with your fellow mermaids and mermen, or championing the joy of My Little Pony, Drooker’s images — captured over a three year period — document those free to indulge their curiosities without fear of being judged; fanatics living their lives exactly how they choose.”