March 23, 2023
6:00–7:30 p.m.
All ages
FREE
Register

We are all grief keepers in our own right.

Grief does not only mean suffering over the loss of life. Grief can result from people whom we are separated from or have never met, yet we mourn a loss of some kind. One might be a grief keeper regarding someone who is incarcerated, divorced, in the military, in foster care, adopted, or terminally ill.

Dorothy McElroy will discuss her practice as a grief support specialist and death doula and what it means to recognize and lean into grief. Attendees are welcome to ask questions about McElroy’s grief keeping practice and how it applies to their lives.

Participants will be invited to engage in McElroy’s Grief Keepers PO Box project through writing letters to loved ones during the event and mailing them to her PO box. This activity offers a safe place to communicate and store memories with individuals for whom they feel a loss. Letter writers are welcome to discuss their grief-related content if they are comfortable doing so, but this is not required.

Grief Keepers will be held in the gallery featuring the exhibition Angela U. Drakeford: In bloom at the end of the world. Drakeford’s installation offers a space that prioritizes encountering and contemplating grief and wellbeing.

Please note that the gallery space is small and enrollment is limited.