The Art of Farewell - A Creative Approach to Death & Remembrance

The Art of Farewell is coming to Tender Funerals this October. It's a creative way into end-of-life planning and memorials, using art materials and hands-on making. We'll touch on cultural traditions and what's possible legally in the region, then look at how life events, passions and interests can be turned into symbols and vessels for memory-making and ceremony. You can choose to create a small coffin model, vessel, or keepsake, made with your own hands to take home.

Whether you are simply keen to explore the possibilities or planning a coffin, urn or some other item for yourself or another, this workshop is for everyone. No art experience needed, just curiosity and a willingness to have a go.

The workshop will be led by Su Hanfling, artist, arts therapist and coffin painter from Wagtail Workshop, with Tender's team alongside her. It's supported by Daisybox, Australia's leading provider of cardboard coffins, which are one of the many options you can explore in this workshop.

Our Pay-It-Forward Ticket Program - helping everyone access art and self-expression

If you want to be part of this program, but are worried about the cost, we have some tickets available at reduced or no cost. Please email canberra@tenderfunerals.com.au or call 6171 6229 to discuss options.

Program

Day One: October 10, 10:30am–4:00pm

We open by looking at how people across cultures and time contain and honour their dead: painted coffins, ceremonial vessels, shrouds and urns, and the creative ways humans express the things that sometimes words can’t and create memory and ceremony. 

We discuss current possibilities for community-led death care and memorials in Canberra and Region, including the legal landscape.

In the afternoon, we move from the global and local to the personal. Working with images, symbols, colour and line, you gather and arrange what is meaningful to you into a personal collage or collection, developing a concept to carry into your own, or another person's, coffin, vessel, cloth, object of remembrance or artwork. Participants are encouraged to bring objects and materials that are meaningful to them as prompts - for example copies of photographs and documents, images of significant objects or places etc.

We explore how ceremony or participation might be supported and connected by objects and creativity, and close with an introduction to some of the forms and materials available for Day Two, so you can think about what you'd like to make.

Day Two: October 17, 10:30am–4:00pm

A hands-on day of making to support your planning and development of concept, and your experimentation and confidence with materials. No previous art experience is needed.

The morning opens with a demonstration of various art materials and techniques, before you begin work on your own coffin model, vessel, cloth, object of remembrance or art work. 

You're also welcome to simply spend time experimenting with materials and techniques in any way you wish.

The afternoon continues with supported making time, closing with an optional check-in for those who'd like to speak about what they've made.

Questions?

Please contact Tender Funerals on 6171 6229 or canberra@tenderfunerals.com.au.

We look forward to seeing you there.