Weaving Art into
Death and Activism
Art 634 in Jackson, Michigan
January 11-February 9, 2025
Soul to Soil is a multi-disciplinary gallery event weaving the visual arts to education and activism.
This exhibition aims to feature artwork and educational events exploring our relationship to death, dying, and grief—topics often considered taboo in Western culture. Exhibited pieces examine death as a natural part of life and interrogate the wider social and cultural implications of treating death and grief as taboo. Take a sneak peak at some of the artwork below.
Soul to Soil:
Workshops and Events
Note that this schedule is still being finalized. Our tentative lineup can be found below
Opening Reception
Saturday, January 11th
6-9 pm at Art 634
Join us for a free opening reception featuring ongoing activities as well as a talk and panel discussion about natural burial and natural deathcare in Michigan
Scheduled:
Conservation Cemetery talk, 6-7:30 pm
Panel on Natural Burial and Deathcare, 7:30-8:30 pm
Ongoing:
Light refreshments, live music (Banjo MIke), community burial basket weaving (Michael Marie), and possible tarot reading.
What is a Home Funeral?
Ongoing throughout the event!
During Business Hours at Art 634
Stop by the Art 634 gallery anytime during the month-long exhibit to learn about home funerals, the practice of families and communities caring for their own dead. Tucked into the gallery will be a mock setup of a home funeral along with a looped video about this time-honored tradition. The display is curated by end-of-life doulas Merilynne Rush and Angela Puchalsky.
Business hours for Art 634 to see the display:
Wednesday – Saturday: 11am – 7pm
Sunday: 11am – 3pm
Queer Death Cafe
Wednesday, January 15th
5-7pm at ART 634
Join Grey Allen for a Death Cafe offering a safe space for LGBTQIA+ folks to talk about death. Grey is an end-of-life doula and a member of Evergreen End of Life Care Foundation.
Movie Screening: The Last Ecstatic Days
Saturday, January 18th
Tentative 4-6 pm at Art 634
NOTE: This is tentative. Please check back about this event. We are assessing options.
Join local end-of-life doulas at Art 634 for a screening of the Last Ecstatic Days and a discussion.
At the height of the pandemic, a young man with brain cancer begins live-streaming his journey on social media. Ethan Sisser inspires thousands around the globe with his unique approach toward the dying process.
What is an End-of-Life Doula?
Saturday, January 25th
11 am- 12 pm at Art 634
Join local death doulas to learn about the various important roles they can play in assisting individuals and their loved ones throughout the dying, death, and grieving process.
Death Cafe
Saturday, January 25th
12- 1 pm at Art 634
Join a local death doula for a Death Cafe open to all. A Death Cafe is a group directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session. Death Cafes aim to ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives’.
What is a Body Farm?
Body Donation, Forensic Education, & so much more!
Wednesday, January 29th
7pm on ZOOM
Join us as we learn about The Forensic Research Outdoor Station (FROST) at Northern Michigan University. This will be held via Zoom. Please register to access the meeting link.
Climate Café
Saturday, February 1st
4:30-6 pm at Art 634
What is a Climate Café?
A climate café listening circle is a welcoming space where fears and uncertainties about our climate and ecological crises can be safely expressed. Together we create a container that is strong enough to allow exploration of complex feelings and thoughts that are often taboo and hard to talk about. Research shows that while most people feel alone with their feelings, the majority are concerned about climate change. You are not alone. Talking about these feelings in groups can help make them bearable. We can engage with difficult truths while staying connected and grounded.
Space will be held by two experienced facilitators (trained through the Climate Psychology Alliance) for up to 10 people. In this friendly and supportive setting, we will:
-focus on feelings rather than action
-temporarily set aside issues of climate policy, science or action
-refrain from advice-giving
To register: Space is limited. To secure your space ahead of time, please email mideathcare@gmail.com.
Facilitators:
Kennedy Williams is a 2022 graduate of the Environmental Sciences program at WMU. She leads the Air Quality Monitoring project and the Black and Brown Environmental Impact Assessment for the Institute of Public Scholarship. Her work is focused on the intersection of Environmental Justice and Environmental Policy.
Donna McClurkan is a former RN and owner of Well Held End-of-Life Doula Services, LLC. Her passions include local food, pollinator habitat gardening, and visiting schools, libraries, and hospices with her certified therapy dog, Stormy.
Imbolc: Celebrating a Seasonal Shift
Saturday, February 1st
5:30-7 pm at ART 634
“New growth happens, not in spite of autumn & winter, but because of autumn & winter.” -Brigit Anna Mcnill
Imbolc is an old Celtic festival that marks an energy shift as autumn and winter’s decay begin to feed new life. Join basketmaker and funerary artisan Michael Marie to celebrate the everchanging seasons. Attendees are invited to weave a Cros Bhríde of willow or rush. This is an old Irish tradition tied to the Celtic goddess and Catholic patron saint Brigit, two figures forever intertwined in lore and history. The weavings are traditionally hung on rafters or doorways to bring good luck for the oncoming year.
In the spirit of this seasonal shift, we will also have resources on different end-of-life options that enable our own death and decay to be more life-giving than conventional options. Learn about body and organ donation, natural burial, upcoming alternatives to cremation, alternatives to products made overseas, and more.
This event is open to all! Bring a dish to share if able (pot-luck style) and come chat, weave, and hang out with new friends. Weaving will ongoing throughout and begin at ~5:30 pm
Closing Reception
Saturday, February 8th
6-9 pm at Art 634
We’re still finalizing our closing reception! Check back for full details soon:
Join us for a free opening reception featuring ongoing activities as well as a talk and panel discussion about natural burial and natural deathcare in Michigan
Scheduled:
Natural Burial talk
Ongoing:
Light refreshments, live music, community weaving (Michael Marie), and tarot reading
