Lakewood Cemetery’s Unforgettable Midsummer Memory Mandalas Event
A Special Weekend That Includes a Public Art Installation and Hands-on Workshops to Transform Grief into Beauty Through Creative Expression.
Located near the front entrance | Free and open to the public.
Meet the artist, listen to his story and watch the giant memory mandala take its final shape. Day will share his 7-step Morning Altars practice of creating impermanent earth altars made from nature, while exploring the importance of ritual in honoring life’s transition.
· Book Signing
Day will be available for a free book signing following the event on Saturday, July 16th. You are welcome to purchase a copy of one (or both) of his books onsite to have signed, or bring your own copy from home.
· Mini-Mandalas
Lakewood’s 250 acres are filled with memorial markers, structures and sculptures built to pass the test of time. On Saturday, July 16, we will welcome a very different kind of creation. Artist Day Schildkret will use natural materials he has gathered from the cemetery and its surroundings over the course of several days to create a large-scale tribute to love and loss, using a hands-on practice that combines mindfulness, creative expression and connection with nature.
Before and after the talk, wander the event site for several community-driven mini-mandalas. You will see small canvases set up around the grounds with flowers, seeds, rocks, and more – waiting for you to contribute your own artistic skills to the canvas, and help us create a beautiful community artwork. Create a border, fill in some color, or add new elements. We’re excited to see what you create together!
About Day Schildkret and Morning Altars
Day Schildkret is an award-winning author, artist, ritualist, teacher and is internationally known for Morning Altars, which Buzz Feed calls, “a celebration of nature and life.” Working for over a decade with individuals, communities and organizations, Day is helping to heal the culture through a meaningful and creative response to change. Day is the author of Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change (Simon Element/Simon & Schuster) publishing in 2022 as well as, Morning Altars: A 7-Step Practice to Nourish Your Spirit through Nature, Art and Ritual (The Countryman Press/W.W. Norton). More about Day at morningaltars.com and dayschildkret.com
“Nature, art and ritual are three ways that cultures around the world have been transforming grief into beauty for thousands of years. Separately, these three things can open our hearts, bring us back to our center, and connect us back into what’s meaningful. Together, they become a resource and skill so we can feel human again.”
— Day Schildkret, Morning Altars
Chairs will be available on a first-come, first serve basis. Guests are welcome to bring their own chairs, blankets, or mats to sit on during the talk.
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