Beyond Grief
Beyond Grief
Years ago, during a particularly difficult period in our life, a friend sent me a note saying ‘May flowers grow upon your scars’. An image immediately formed in my mind: a woman’s nude back with a wide scar from the neck down. From this scar grew a beautiful garden. This image helped us move through the pain to a better place.
With the unthinkable loss of Alastair, who battled ferociously to stay with us for many years, we would like to widen this approach to survival. Through the expression of our grief, through art, to arrive on the other side. Hence the name BEYOND GRIEF. We are founding what we hope will be an annual show which welcomes the artistic expression of how to work through the most painful periods of our lives and move beyond them. Some artists working on these themes will participate with images of the monster which is grief that devours us, some will represent moving towards a light at the end of the tunnel, and some the beauty we achieve beyond. In this way, we, together, will help others manage the pain and suffering in a way that is human and creates greater empathy for those in need.
Our project is to create an art show, to allow for a rebirth and renaissance through shared humanity. During the show, we plan to organize workshops and presentations on topics that are critical to supporting young people in difficulty as well as their families, such as
- Talks by a renowned suicidelogist, psychologists, parents, associations working to combat these challenges,
- Presentations of organisations, structures, and services that exist to support young people and their families in critical moments
- Workshops on the importance of creativity and personal growth to increase ones internal resources
- Discussions of young people’s resilience and the risks that this implies, in our challenging reality
- Eliminating stigma and shame around discussions of mental health
- The importance of alerting other is one knows/thinks that someone is considering suicide
Help us inform your friends of our initiatives. Put is in touch with artists and suggest topics that we should cover in the workshops. By helping our mission, we help each other, with the hope that this show and the sharing of experience becomes an annual expression of humanity and learning. Because while we can never rid ourselves of pain, our capacity to go BEYOND GRIEF is greatly enhanced when we do so together.
Years ago, during a particularly difficult period in our life, a friend sent me a note saying ‘May flowers grow upon your scars’. An image immediately formed in my mind: a woman’s nude back with a wide scar from the neck down. From this scar grew a beautiful garden. This image helped us move through the pain to a better place.
With the unthinkable loss of Alastair, who battled ferociously to stay with us for many years, we would like to widen this approach to survival. Through the expression of our grief, through art, to arrive on the other side. Hence the name BEYOND GRIEF. We are founding what we hope will be an annual show which welcomes the artistic expression of how to work through the most painful periods of our lives and move beyond them. Some artists working on these themes will participate with images of the monster which is grief that devours us, some will represent moving towards a light at the end of the tunnel, and some the beauty we achieve beyond. In this way, we, together, will help others manage the pain and suffering in a way that is human and creates greater empathy for those in need.
Our project is to create an art show from mid December to mid February, the end and the beginning of Alastair’s life, to close the cycle and allow for a rebirth and renaissance through shared humanity. During the show, we plan to organize workshops and presentations on topics that are critical to supporting young people in difficulty as well as their families, such as
- talks by psychologists, parents, associations working to combat these challenges,
- discussions of young people’s resilience and the risks that this implies, as well as structures and services which exist to help those in need.
Help us inform your friends of our initiatives. Put is in touch with artists and suggest topics that we should cover in the workshops. By helping our mission, we help each other, with the hope that this show and the sharing of experience becomes an annual expression of humanity and learning. Because while we can never rid ourselves of pain, our capacity to go BEYOND GRIEF is greatly enhanced when we do so together.
