Art for the Living & the Dead Workshop #1 – Death Cafe

About the series:

When artists make work about death, they are affirming their relationships to the living world. Doing this well requires that one’s studio practice be focused on asking questions, seeking connection, and inviting collaboration – with the living and the dead, with the past and the future, with the human and non-human.

This series of three stand-alone workshops looks at many different ways to engage with death, mortality, and grief through art and community. Artists find new ways to work with these topics in their own personal studio practice, and do so with the utmost respect and care for themselves, their subjects, and their audience.

Participants read and discuss short pieces of writing, look at artworks, and experiment with creative writing as critical tools for the visual artist. You need not be an artist to join! Readings are available for free in advance.

Masks are required at this event. Comfort Station provides extra masks, as well as a HEPA air purifier for the space.

The Death Cafe workshop series is hosted by Anders Zanichkowsky and presented in conjunction with Comfort Station’s exhibition, La Casa de Todos/Everyone’s Home. This program is partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

About the workshop: Death Cafe

Register here to reserve your spot for Workshop #1!

Death Cafes are loosely structured events where people gather to eat sweets, drink tea, and talk about death, dying, grief, and loss, with the goal of ending the taboo around talking about death. This session features Alejandro Salinas of the Chicago Death Doula Collection and designer of “The Coffin Cards,” a deck of poetic prompts for thinking about death and dying, many of which hold dual meanings for thinking about art making.

About the artists:

Alejandro Salinas is the Vice President of the Chicago Death Doula Collective, Conscious Dying Coach, Clinical Massage Therapist, Yoga Teacher, Dream Guide, Grief Advocate, and Musician. He has always had an interest in the morbid and shadow aspects of life. He attended his first Death Café while studying Clinical Massage Therapy in 2014. In 2017 he received his Yoga Teacher Training certificate and began teaching Dream Yoga, a practice of awakening, and preparation for death and dying in the Tibetan Buddhist, and Toltec traditions. He Co-hosted The Dream Freaks podcast alongside Tree Carr, Jennifer Claroscura and teaches Dream Yoga weekly at Chi Yoga Shack. In 2018 he received  End of Life Specialist certification from Rainbow Hospice. He trained with The Conscious Dying Collective in 2023. He hosts recurring Death Café’s in Chicago and at festivals around the Midwest.

Anders Zanichkowsky is a transgender artist, writer, and activist from the Midwest. They make art about grief, desire, and our longing for another world, creating beautiful places for people to rest, lust, and feel heartbroken together. Grounded in the personal address, Anders’ work often takes the form of an intimate dialogue, allowing the audience to witness an honest and personal exchange between queer people. They are also the owner and weaver of Burial Blankets: handwoven shrouds for green burial that are meant for enjoyment during life, and to soften our contemplation of mortality. Anders has been an artist-in-residence with The Arctic Circle sailing expedition in Svalbard, Røst AiR in Sápmi/Norway, and the Chicago Park District’s Cultural Asset Mapping Project. Their work has been exhibited across the United States, Europe, and Australia, including the Wisconsin Film Festival. They have received awards for their studio work, public art, and international research, including a DCASE Individual Artist Grant, a SPARK grant, and a Temkin Award for their MFA thesis show You Are Running Into Danger. Anders has an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2019) and a BA from Hampshire College (2008).