Art & Dying: Embracing Loss & Mortality through Contemplative Arts 

is set for Saturday, Nov. 6 from 9:30 am to 4 pm. Noah Baen, artist and art educator, and Allison Wonderland, artist and death midwife, will facilitate this immersive, in-person workshop. As Allison says “this is an invitation to saturate ourselves with color, compassion, and community fellowship and explore our personal relationship with grief, loss, and death through creative inquiry. Throughout the day we will gently deepen our journey, balancing our time between quiet inner contemplation and group sharing, creative exploration with tissue paper and glue, journaling, and simple embodiment.” No prior art experience needed!

We will be social distancing while cultivating social connection. We ask that masks be worn inside. Depending on the weather, may enjoy some unmasked time outside. Pre-registration is required by Nov. 1.

Tuition is $50 and scholarships are available.

Payments can be made through paypal, see link at the bottom of this webpage, or check made to CEOLP/ IFC on day of event.

All materials are provided.

To register, contact Allison: adralawonderland@gmail.com.

This is one of the events Informed Final Choices is sponsoring in October and November to celebrate autumn and CEOLP’s 15 years of service to the community. Visit www.informedfinalchoices.org for information on the events, or check out the ad in this month’s Eagle.

This workshop provides a rare opportunity to explore in depth our experiences, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes toward dying and death, using simple art materials, imagination, and heart, along with other art forms such as music.

“This workshop took me to places in myself I’d long hoped were there. I not only found the places, but am able to own them. There is more to me than I knew or expected.”

The hands-on and contemplative event, sponsored by IFC, intersperses periods of meditative quiet and reflection with immersive, even playful forms of art expression. Intentionally “kindergarten-level” art materials—torn tissue paper and glue—will be approachable and easy for anyone to use. No art experience is required. “We use the senses to get beyond mental thoughts and concepts and engage heart and spirit in an exploration of personal questions as we sink deeply into the emotional and spiritual levels, and the unknown,” workshop co-facilitator Noah Baen says. The experience takes place within a safe, open, supportive and non-judgmental environment that honors and shares the diversity of people’s experiences and attitudes.

“We’ll use the senses to get beyond mental thoughts and concepts and engage heart and spirit in an exploration of personal questions as we sink deeply into the emotional and spiritual levels, and the unknown,” Noah says. The experience takes place within a safe, open, supportive and non-judgmental environment that honors and shares the diversity of people’s experiences and attitudes.

“The ‘silent’ color meditations were powerful in setting the tone for the day. I really appreciate the opportunity to ‘work’ and ‘play’ in silence.”

Facilitators
Facilitators bring experiences in fields such as art, education, counseling, psychotherapy, and death midwifery, as well as experiences gained as volunteers with the End of Life Project. They have included Noah Baen, artist and art educator; Anrahyah Arstad, trained as a social worker and family counselor, a practicing psychic and lifelong educator; Allison Wonderland, artist and death midwife; Judith Oakland, psychotherapist and soul collage facilitator; and Patricia Eagle, a professional Life-Cycle Celebrant and former Threshold Choir leader based in the southern San Luis Valley.

Learn More
To request for information about this workshop, contact us today.