Five Gates of Grief: Sun 4/28
On April 28th 2024 from 4-7 pm, we present the 5 Gates of Grief: an immersive and interactive installation with live activations of the gates by the artists at the Maas Building (1325 N. Randolph St. Philadelphia, PA 19122).
Last year, our dear friend Naila Francis- poet, grief coach, death doula, and founder of Salt Trails (a wonderful organization which works to normalize grief and prioritize collective care in a culture that turns away from death and loss) had the idea of creating an immersive, multidisciplinary exploration of Francis Weller’s Five Gates of Grief (from The Wild Edge of Sorrow).
With the help of a generous Art and Change grant from the Leeway Foundation, and the support of our home base partners at the Maas Building, we have worked over the past many months to imagine and envision this project, and now it is time to share it with you.
We are so inspired by the cohort of phenomenal, courageous and visionary artists who have brought their curiosity, versatility and reverence to the topic of grief. Please visit our website for details and more information about each of these brilliant contributing artists (or follow the links below to their respective websites).
This event will bring participants to gather for an opening ritual and invocation, led by Naila and her collaborators at Salt Trails: Meghan Dwyer, Priscilla Tennant, Elle Zaspel, Nicki Cowan, Amy Isakov, and Reverend Rhetta Morgan.
Following the opening, we will continue into the Maas building to explore the 5 Gates of Grief, where the artist at each gate has created a unique participatory experience to deepen guests’ understanding of the gate and the wisdom available from that vantage point.
Visitors will be invited to explore aspects of grief through installations combining visual art, sound, movement, group interaction and performance.
5 GATES OF GRIEF
from Francis Weller’s Wild Edge of Sorrow
First Gate: Everything we love we will lose.
Artist: Jordan Deal
Second Gate: The places that have not known love.
Artist: Lauren Silver
Third Gate: The sorrows of the world.
Artist: Joshua Marquez
Fourth Gate: What we expected and did not receive.
Artists: Sam Rise and Bennett Kuhn
Fifth Gate: Ancestral Grief.
Artist: Dwight Dunston aka Sterling Duns
Portal to Joy: Salt Trails member Rev. Rhetta Morgan will close the evening by welcoming guests into a joy portal as a reminder that when grief is embraced instead of shunned, it is a portal to transformation.
There will be plenty of space during this event for you to rest, connect with others or contemplate in solitude, and explore into your grief (if you are so inclined) with writing, working with found materials, and movement.
Weather allowing, the beautiful Maas courtyard will be open in its glorious springtime splendor.
We will have a variety of delicious bites and drinks available for sale, with a bonfire going if the evening is cool.
We remain so grateful to be in community with you. We strive to include as many as possible in the conversation about mortality, death and grief, and to support each other with curiosity, openness and wonder as we experience the mystery of humanness.
We are indeed all in this together.
5 Gates of Grief
Maas Building (enter on 5th side at 1320 N 5th street, 19122)
Sunday, Apr 28, 2024 from 4-7 pm
Opening invocation will start at 4 pm
Portal to Joy closing ceremony at 6:30 pm
The Gates will remain open for visits on Monday 4/29 and Tuesday 4/30 from 4-7 pm. Artists will not be present, but you are more than welcome to come visit during these hours!
ALL ARE WELCOME. THIS EVENT IS FREE, WITH THE OPTION TO TIP INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS VIA THEIR VENMO ACCOUNTS.
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED. COME BE WITH US!
Text/call Rebecca 215 688 7766 or Catherine 215 285 3315 with questions or to get accessibility info