A new photography exhibition and series of creative workshops is kickstarting a conversation about grief in East Yorkshire.
The Life After Loss exhibition, a partnership between Projecting Grief and Barmby Moor group of churches, will launch at St Catherine’s Church, Barmby Moor (near Pocklington), on Saturday 23 November. The exhibition, which tells the stories of people finding comfort, distraction or hope in a creative pursuit after losing someone they love, will run for five weeks, thanks to funding from a Do It For East Yorkshire Community Grant.
Projecting Grief was started by photographer Jo Ritchie after her brother, Jack, died by gambling-related suicide. After Jack’s death, Jo felt drawn to take photographs of people who felt supported by a creative outlet after being bereaved. Laura McDonagh, whose mother Anne died suddenly in 2019, later joined the project as interviewer and writer to add context to the portraits.
Jo said, “There was a point after Jack’s death where I couldn’t imagine picking up my camera again, but I found it fascinating and uplifting when I discovered people using their creativity to help them cope.
“We’re not sugarcoating grief, but we’re showing other bereaved people that there’s a community out there looking for comfort in creativity and offering some hope.”
Writer Laura McDonagh added, “We’ve featured rocking horse makers, musicians, podcasters, poets and more. Some of the people we speak to are professional artists while others are simply doing something creative when time allows.
“With Projecting Grief, we’re saying two things: firstly, that creativity is powerful and secondly, that it’s for everyone – not just a select few.”
There will also be an opportunity to take part in three free creative workshops centred on grief – a pottery session at Fangfoss Pottery with Lyn and Gerry Grant on Sunday 24 November; a drop-in Doodle Chat session at St Catherine’s Church Barmby Moor with community artist Edek Thompson on Sunday 1 December 2-5pm; and an embroidery memory hoop session with textile artist Hayley Mills-Styles also at St Catherine’s on Sunday 8 December 2-4pm.
The session at Fangfoss Pottery will include a chance to have a go on the wheel plus make a memory tile in honour of a special person. The Doodle Chat is a space to sit and chat while having a go at something creative, from colouring in to collage. In the embroidery workshop participants will create a stitched memory hoop to commemorate an important place or person.
Anyone affected by grief, no matter how long ago or how recently, is welcome to these workshops. All three sessions are free, informal, suitable for beginners and all materials are provided, but booking via Eventbrite is essential for Edek and Hayley’s sessions (search for Projecting Grief), or by emailing lynandgerry@fangfosspottery.co.uk for the pottery workshop.
The Revd Mark Poole, priest-in-charge at Barmby Moor group of churches, said, “We’re thrilled to be working with Projecting Grief for this exhibition and to give people a safe space to share their experience of grief, however recently or long ago they’ve been affected.”
“The workshops will also be a great opportunity for people to engage in therapeutic and mindful activity, learn new skills, have supportive conversations and enjoy themselves. We’d encourage anyone from our benefice area – Barmby Moor, Fangfoss, Allerthorpe, Thornton, Melbourne and Yapham – and beyond to come along and take part.”
Projecting Grief, a portraiture and storytelling exhibition telling the stories of people finding comfort, distraction or hope in a creative pursuit after losing someone they love, is running 23 November-21 December 2024 at St Catherine’s Church Barmby Moor. The church is open 10-4pm daily.
