Julie Chen
Made in Honor
A Grief Art Workshop
Flower City Arts Center, Rochester
Flower City Arts Center, Rochester
August 16, 2025
Artist Julie Chen and dignity advocate Tove Phillips conducted an evening collective art-making session at Flower City Arts Center (FCAC) for community members who have been grieving a loss (someone, someplace, something, some time). The grieving were invited to honor them/it by bringing a small artifact/keepsake and gathered in a circle around them to create a collective web—an experimental method inspired by circle altar ceremonies. As we weaved with our hands, we weaved our thoughts with sharing stories and writing prompts, or simply listened.
However the grieving chose to participate, we were there together for each other.
At the completion of the cermony, Tove released our collective web to fire.