March 15, 2024/Midnight 

Erie Pa., –In Erie’s excitement for the upcoming solar eclipse, the science of the astrological event is explained through art and is currently being displayed at FEED Media Art. 

“Eclipsing Stars” is a seven-room art exhibit that takes audiences through space as each section introduces a new inner cosmic goddess. These personified stellar bodies are connected as sisters who share their story of forming different eclipses found in the natural universe. 

Alex “Lonesav” Staley and Dr. Moiya McTier collaborated to make this visual venture through the stars become a possibility. With Staley’s background in filmmaking and design and McTier’s in astrophysics and writing, this beautiful story became both an artistic and educational journey. 

Through mythological art, the science behind the causation of eclipses can be easily accessed by a wider audience. This story combines human fascination with scientific reasoning and the infatuation with visual beauty to enhance the learning experience of the viewers. Mythological storytelling effectively achieves such an experience. 

“Moiya and I are inspired in our ways by mythology, and we like how mythology is used to tell stories across centuries. We thought this story we’re telling is worthy of that treatment,” Staley shares. 

But it goes deeper into the universe, launching the relatability of life on earth into the galaxy. 

The decision to create the connection through a familial bond was a found relation within Staley and McTier’s families. Not only was there a grounded concept in family, but also in culture. 

“We decided to come up with our own [mythology] because we’re both African American and recognized that Black people, as they exist in America today, don’t have their own mythology. So, this was our small way of undoing that,” Staley explains. 

This welcomes even more meaning to the artistry of celestial connections. Community is found in both storytelling and the stars. It occurs naturally – just as these sisters’ eclipses do. 

This was all made possible due to the Simons Foundation located in New York City and their objective to inform people on the solar phenomenon with the idea to add art in the path of totality. Art spaces could apply for a grant to fund the creative process of an artistic team, and through Erie Arts & Culture; FEED, Staley, and McTier received funding and were able to bring this stellar story down to Earth. 

“We couldn’t have pulled this off without the team at FEED. Everyone from Benton to the interns, to the construction team. This wouldn’t have been possible without them working just as hard as we were to make this happen.”