It’s been famously said that grief is the price one pays for love.
And with grief being an emotion that touches everyone’s life at one point or another, a group of creatives decided to tackle a challenge it presents: the lack of space offered to express it together.
‘Room For Grief’ is a culmination of over 100 artists' work, each offering a viewpoint on grieving through paintings, mixed media, sculptures, installations, projections, immersive elements, performance-based activations, and plenty of other mediums.
The goal is to create a sense of community to help express the emotion and work through the obstacles it brings. As the official website notes: “In a country built upon death and loss, the space to grieve is alarmingly absent. Our society leaves little physical or existential room for us to experience, let alone process loss. This project points directly at this omission by making literal Room For Grief — a dedicated, intentional space where these themes are expressed, witnessed and held in community.”
The project called for submissions earlier this year in February, and many answered. It noted that “all types of grief” were welcome — from one artist’s grief of missing their hometown, others missing loved ones, and some working through the loss of security and even identity.
Being shown now through June 28 at Cherry Street Pier (121 N Christopher Columbus Blvd), the experience is meant to mimic a house “built by grief” with work from each artist on display. There’s also a few special dates to note on the schedule, including a Beyond Loss Film Series on June 15, the Death Cafe (which the experience notes will be “a warm, reflective space to explore mortality, dying, grief, and what it means to truly live”) on June 17, an event dubbed Sail Trails—Singing Our Grief on June 19, a Grief Survival Guide on June 22, and the exhibit’s closing reception on June 28.
Updated times can be found via social media (roomforgriefphl) and note, the Death Cafe requires registration via the ‘Room For Grief’ website.)
“Let our robust and diverse group of contributors show you what it is like to live, heal, struggle, cope and offer sanctuary for mourning at a time where the burden of grief in daily life is overwhelming,” the website also states. “Join us as we grieve death, identity, health, security, safety, freedom, democracy, [and] the fulfillment of promises that were made to us generationally.”
To find out more information on ‘Room For Grief’, visit roomforgrief.org
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