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: To Whom This May Concern
Register here for Workshop #3!
How do we address our work to an audience or subject who is out of reach – the dead, the as-yet-unborn, our non-human relatives? Rather than trying to solve this mystery, which has captivated human cultures for tens of thousands of years, this session discusses art and writing that asks questions rather than giving answers, and which embraces uncertainty as a desirable experience for both the artist and their audience. Participants use creative writing exercises to compose personal correspondence with recipients who cannot receive the letters, to generate new text and ideas that can be used in studio practices.
Artists include: Alfredo Jaar, “The Rwanda Project: Real Pictures” (installation). Tilda Swinton “The Maybe” (performance). Dutes Miller & Stan Shellebarger, various selected works & artist statement, Anders Zanichkowsky, “and you in the woods and you” (short video), The Fayoum Portraits (Roman Egypt, 30 B.C.E. – 300 C.E.).
Readings: Felix Gonzales Torres, interview about “Portrait of Ross” and John Berger, “Fayoum Portraits” (Portraits, pages 7 – 11)
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An initiative of the Terra Foundation for American Art in partnership with artists and organizations across the city, Art Design Chicago is a series of events and exhibitions that highlight the city’s artistic heritage and creative communities.
