Fifty Years of Escapes, Ephemera, and Houdini Lore: Preserving a Rhode Island Connection

The Museum of Work & Culture will host Rhode Island-based professional magician and entertainer Lon Cerel on Thursday, October 29, from 6 – 8 p.m. for Fifty Years of Escapes, Ephemera, and Houdini Lore: Preserving a Rhode Island Connection. October 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Houdini’s death. To mark this historic centennial, the Museum of Work & Culture is partnering with Cerel for a special public presentation. For the first time in 50 years, Cerel’s collection of vault-secured, museum-grade archive of manacles, stage-used apparatus, rare correspondence, and ephemeral artifacts belonging to Harry Houdini will be on public display. Houdini performed numerous times in Rhode Island, both in Providence and Woonsocket, with his last appearance just weeks before his untimely death.
The VIP portion of the program begins at 6 pm with a wine and cheese reception where a limited number of guests will receive an exclusive, intimate guided look at the artifacts. The main event will begin at 7 pm and feature a 30 min talk by Cerel, where he will detail the history represented in his collection, recount the stories associated with the artifacts, including that of Houdini’s last days, and discuss his own death-defying high-altitude, upside-down straitjacket escape performed in 1976 for the 50th anniversary of Houdini’s death. A Q&A will follow.
GA Tickets are priced from $15 – $20. VIP tickets are priced from $30 – $35.