Events, Parties, and Programs with Silhouettes

Silhouette portraiture - either within a live event or as a virtual presentation and interactivity - is a wonderful combination of a historical, fascinating old trade with a fun reminder of the experience to take home: the silhouette itself!

They watch their own silhouettes cut live

Can you imagine your guests’ faces as they see their silhouettes cut live, in front of their eyes? There are no camera tricks or iPads or machinery.

Your guests stand or sit for their own silhouettes. In just 90-120 seconds, their silhouette appears -as if by magic- from the paper. But it is not magic - this is the very skilled scissors of a silhouette artist who can create works of art with just paper, without drawing first!

See examples of silhouettes here.

Any event can have silhouettes!

Freehand-scissored silhouettes: This rare participatory trade seamlessly connects with with family-friendly events, as well as grownups’ events. There is no limit to what interesting themes and event possibilities can be created.

Uplift events with interactivity - and they can keep the results

Silhouettes as part of a larger event -or as the focus of the event itself - can uplift a “blah” event to a memorable event - by its personal responsiveness, interesting history throughout the globe, charm, and speed.

Your Artist has 35 years of event experience

Your silhouette artist Lauren Muney, has been a special event professional for over 35 years, as a stage and interactive entertainer and producer across the United States, Canada, and in Asia and Europe. You'll love her vast experience and unique offering of interactive silhouette portraiture at your event. She can help you plan and solve any issue, to ensure that your featuring silhouettes at your event is smooth and easy. For additional photos and video, see the Examples Page.

Event types include:

In Person Events - Museum Events - Corporate Events - Galas - Non-Profit Events - Public Programming - Fairs and Festivals - Community Events - Weddings and Social Events - Holiday Events - Schools and Fundraisers -Educational Programs - Visiting Artist and Artist Residencies - Public Art - Virtual Events

How To Book Silhouettes at your Event (General Info)

Silhouette portraiture is a delightful main feature or hospitable interactive guest participation, whether live in person or virtually (online)- over any number of interactive online options (Scroll down the page to read event ideas). Lauren Muney is based in the Baltimore-Washington region of the United States, so events outside of Baltimore may have travel fees.

Request your own proposal:

• Send an email to Silhouettes By Hand with your event details, or

• Use the Contact form to request a proposal.

   Lauren will develop a custom proposal especially for your needs, even make suggestions for using this stunning activity.

Event Types (scroll down):

Enthusiastic event solutions include:

• Artist appearances for private, public, social, public art, or educational events

• Safety protocols and physically-distanced solutions for in-person events

• Mail order silhouettes, any time, any time zone

In-person professionalism includes:

• Hospitable and enthusiastic interactions with guests, visitors, or community members

• Written proposals

• Event details arranged far in advance

• Bags for all mounted silhouettes

Virtual event solutions include:

• Custom concepts for seamless and easy event

• Attentive problem-solving if any questions arise

• Worry-free fulfillment (shipping of completed portraits)

Read below for general ideas,

and then contact Lauren to talk about your own event requests.

Corporate Events, Trade Shows, Conferences Dinners, Parties  

Silhouette portraits offer a memorable activity and memento to your guests and staff. Also see the Artisanal Selfie page.

Graceful and grand

The graceful and grand portraits will make your guests remember the event (and your brand) long after the clock strikes the event's end. Perfect for:

• parties

• conferences

• galas

• dinners

• trade shows (and traffic stoppers in booths)

• launch parties and events

• retreat events

• VIP festivities

“We recently engaged Lauren to cut silhouette portraits of our employees and guests at a formal event held at a downtown museum. From the moment the guests saw her at work, she was in high demand. Her artistry was evident in the detail and agility with which she cut each portrait. The guests enjoyed interacting with Lauren while posing for the silhouette and were very pleased to take home a framed memento of a wonderful evening.” ~ Linda Hight, Jenner & Block, Washington DC

Non-Profit Events, Galas, and Festivities

Your galas and events deserve an inspiring and classic offering. 

Remarkable portrait experience

Silhouette portraiture fulfill the hunger for humanities, art, and good taste. In just moments, a guest sits for a remarkable portrait experience culminating in a delightful, elegant likeness.

Seated or roving

Imagine your guests can mix, mingle, chat, as well as become a work of art. Other guests can watch a silhouette being cut as well, thus bringing silhouettes to be a 'performance art' as well as a memory to take home. 

Museum Programs, Public Programs, and Special Events 

Museum Programs are Lauren's specialty, combining historical interpretation with an interactive encounter for your visitors.

“Living History”

Her specialty is living history: your guests experience history, humanities, and culture - instead of just hearing about these elements in a tour or presentation.

Contact Lauren with your event details so she can write you a custom proposal.

Read more on these Pages:

Museums:

Click here to learn more about history-inspired offerings and info for museums >

Physiognomy:

Click here to read about the "Science" of Face Reading to determine character >

Fairs, Festivals, and Community-wide Events  

Wherever classic and fun can combine, silhouettes are a fast and celebrated solution to community interactivity.

Festivals and fairs can bring stately and rapid portraiture, especially for arts festivals, community festivals, community engagement events, and history fairs.

"I wanted to tell you how tickled I was to have a silhouette done [at the Monumental Celebration in Baltimore, MD]. What a great memento to have for a celebration I shall soon not forget. I sent kudos to the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts telling them the great selection of 19th Century re-enactors and arts/crafts they had, especially your silhouette artistry."
~ Regards, Matthew Borkovic, event visitor, silhouette recipient

Wedding Silhouettes / Social Events 

Silhouettes portraits are perfect for weddings, life events, celebrations, and reunions. Your guests are thrilled to sit for, and take home, an elegant portrait memento of their celebration with you.

Thinking out of the Box

There are special options that can be accommodated especially for wedding  events. Please ask about wedding options if you would like to think out of the box - but still want silhouettes.

There are also some events where you would like all guests to have silhouettes but time cannot accommodate this.

Solutions to limited budgets

There are times when you want silhouettes but the travel fees hamper your dreams. Silhouettes By Hand has devised creative solutions!

Contact Lauren to start your silhouettes planning

For wedding silhouettes, use the Contact form to request the communications about your happy event. She will write you with more information about options for wedding silhouettes - connect your dream about silhouettes for your happy day. You choose what you want, depending on your budget, location, date, and desires.

Request your custom proposal

Lauren will reply with your custom written proposal - so you can see exactly what is possible with your budget. Please remember to include all details, including:

• Location (City, state, and venue name)

• Exact Date and time

• Theme, if any

• Guest number

• Any other details about the special day

Holiday Events and Celebrations

Allow iconic silhouette portraiture to enliven guests of events during Christmas, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Memorial Day, even Independence Day celebrations - whether you are creating a public or private celebration.

Request your custom proposal

To understand your options for your event, you will provide details of your event:

• Location

• Date

• Time

• Theme

• Guest type

Contact Silhouettes By Hand to submit your event details to receive your custom written proposal. Your proposal will help guide you to a grander celebration using silhouettes.

Visiting Artist, Artist Residency, or Guest Artist Events

Cultural Programming or Promotion - Private or Public

Silhouette Portraiture are a great promotion, interactive residency, arts and culture programming, or as an addition to retail events. Community and public events benefit by Lauren Muney’s over 30 years experience as a performing artist, museum programs, and public engagement specialist.

• Museums

• Community centers

• Libraries

• Arts Centers

• Public Art projects, programs, events

• Cultural arts organizations

• Special Events

• Employee Benefits Programs

• Hospital Programs - patients and/or families

• Genealogy groups

• Local history societies

• Senior activity centers

Please use the Contact form to request your custom proposal.

Schools / Educational Programs and Fundraisers

Portraits and Programming: History and Humanities

Silhouettes are perfect to fulfill parents' desires for polished portraits of their children --and schools' need for humanities (history and society learning) programming.

Health-Safe Silhouette Portraits

We are all now concerned about “socially distancing” or “safe distance” events activities. Because your artist is an event professional (and problem-solver) of over 30 years, your concerns are already taken into account and solved.

Silhouettes for Fundraising

Not only can you use elegant silhouettes in safe ways, you can use them for fundraising! Silhouettes By Hand can help you create quaint, useful, and helpful projects which connect with families and school needs.

This is not your average bake sale! Create income, memories, as well as keepsakes.

Know your desires!

Know what you want to do - are you fundraising, or putting on a program? Your proposal (and the time and costs will be different) will be different depending on your request.

Planning Assistance

Your artist can help make recommendations which will create a smooth event. When arranging an experienced service provider, you are assured the most ease and outcome.

Please inquire

Please inquire for the Silhouettes By Hand school ideas, and be sure to describe your organization as well as your own desires.

Virtual Events, Presentations, Parties, and Celebrations

2020 has introduced the Virtual visits due to the global pandemic: using a multiplicity of virtual tool choices, such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meetings, Crowdcast, Facetime, or even your GoToMeeting account, Lauren can give a presentation and/or cut silhouettes for any number of guests.

Virtual learning presentations

Lauren has several interesting presentations that she has given in person, at museums around the United States. Her experience as a guest artist and presenter at museums has informed her lively, interesting style.

These presentations can be turned into a safe-distancing option (see examples of virtual options, above) for any regional, national, or even international audience. Her specialty is cutting silhouettes but also talking about the history of this affordable portrait form, and making your guests a part of history too.

From ‘gripe session’ to ‘art session’:

Creating a virtual gathering of friends, colleagues, happy hours, or meeting? Change the dynamic from complaining the state of the world, to discussing history, new opportunities, and of course, having silhouettes cut virtually! Meetings suddenly transform from a gripe session to an art session.

Contact Lauren with your interests and number of people, and she’ll create a custom proposal for you. Your proposal will including appearance and postage fees to receive the final silhouettes.

Past Events, Clients, Locations, and Programs have included:

• Smithsonian Institution: American Museum of American Art (Washington, DC)

• Smithsonian Institution: National Portrait Gallery (Washington, DC)

• Smithsonian Institution: Renwick Gallery (Washington, DC)

• The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington DC)

• Lost Trades Fair (Australia)

• United States Council of Mayors national conference

• National Public Radio

• American Alliance of Museums (AAM) national conference

• Young President’s Organization (“YPO”)

• American Philosophical Society Museum (PA)

• Charles Koch Institute

• Google “City Experts”

• American Folk Art Museum (NYC)

• Preservation Maryland

• Baltimore Museum of Art (MD)

• Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts (MD)

• “Star Spangled Spectacular” (nationally televised event) (MD)

• The Church of Latter Day Saints (international division)

• American Institute of Architects (MD)

• The Henry Ford [museum] – Greenfield Village (MI)

• George Washington’s Historic Mount Vernon Estate (VA)

• Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation: Jamestown Settlement (VA)

• Maryland Arts Summit

• Regency Society of Virginia

• Historic Deerfield (MA)

• Historic Blenheim / City of Fairfax, VA

• New London Historical Society (CT)

• The Walters Art Museum (MD)

• The Fair At New Boston (OH)

• Upper Canada Village (Ont., Canada)

• Fort Nisqually Living History Museum (WA)

• Historic St. Mary's City (MD)

• Eschwege, Germany

• Lorsch, Germany

• City of Fairfax (VA)

• County of Fairfax (VA)

• The Farmer’s Museum / New York State Historical Society (NY)

• Genesee Valley Country Village and Museum (NY)

• City of Manassas (VA) / Manassas Museum

• Maryland Historical Society

• Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

• Montgomery Parks (MD)

• Brightest Young Things (DC)

• Boordy Winery (MD)

• Darnall’s Chance Museum (MD)

• Gramercy Mansion Bridal Open House (MD)

• Pottsville Mansion (PA)

• Chestertown Tea Party Festival (MD)

• Old State House Museum (AR)

• Historic Arkansas Museum (AR)

• Fort Frederick State Park 18th Century Market Fair (MD)

• Claude Moore Colonial Farm (VA)

• Dover Days Festival (DE)

• Jerusalem Mill Museum (MD)

• Charles Carroll House Museum (MD)

• Old Bedford Village (PA)

• Penns Colony Festival (PA)

• Montpelier Museum Tea and Herb Festival (MD)

• Maryland Irish Festival

• Baltimore Privateer Festival (MD)

• Blackbeard Pirate Festival (VA)

• Historic London Town (MD)

• City of Havre De Grace (MD)

• Riversdale Mansion (MD)

• Mythic Faire

• Mount Clare Museum (MD)

• Johns Hopkins University Homewood Museum (MD)

• Hampton Mansion NHS, (National Park Service)

• Skaneateles Dickens Festival (NY)

• “Dickens of a Christmas” (MD)

• Maryland Renaissance Festival

• Association for Living History, Farm, and Agricultural Museums (“ALHFAM”)

• Preschool For the Arts (MD)

• Countless private weddings, parties, conference dinners, and other social and corporate events