Fare-Well: Art & Death Café
Fare-Well: Art & Death Café is a free art education program intended to encourage community conversations about death and mortality through the lens of history, art, and creativity. Death Cafés are a global movement aiming to normalize discussions about death, an often-taboo topic.
With discussion alongside a creative art project, artist and facilitator, Elyse-Krista, will use a new theme each month to show death awareness has historically been integral to art and existence. We’ll learn how to, if not verbally talk about death, while exploring how artists and others use objects, symbolism, and creativity to communicate emotions, thoughts, and practices regarding the passing of time, the truth about vitality, and the reality of mortality. This monthly free program will become gateways for moments of conversation in the art studio, home, and community that will help us to both individually and collectively fare well.
Dates: Fare-Well: Art & Death Café hosts two sessions monthly.
Hosted at Trout Museum of Art
111 W College Ave
First Saturday at 10 AM: May 3
Hosted at Wichmann Funeral Home Tri-Cty Chapel
1592 S Oneida St, Menasha
First Sundays at 10 AM: June 1, July 6, Aug 3, Sept 7, Oct 5
Third Wednesday at 6 PM: May 21, June 18, July 16, Aug 20, Sept 17
Thank you to our program kick-off sponsors, Telmark Sales Solutions and Wichmann Funeral Homes Fund.
Elyse-Krista Mische
Elyse-Krista Mische is an Appleton, WI based artist, a Creative Thanatologist, and a multifaceted member of the funeral profession. Through multidisciplinary creative practices, Thanatological research, and interactions with people and place, Elyse-Krista explores concepts of time, memory, and mortality. Using her artwork and community engagement practices as change-making tools, Elyse-Krista hopes to expand, normalize, and embrace visual and verbal conversations around personal and collective existential issues.
Elyse-Krista is a Credentialed Thanatologist through the Association for Death Education and Counseling, she holds a MS in Thanatology (Marian University, 2024) and a BA in Studio Art (Lawrence University, 2011), she is a Dementia Specialist Designation (UW-Oshkosh, 2020), and a certified TimeSlips facilitator.
Elyse-Krista is excited to found and facilitate Fare-Well: Art & Death Café in partnership with TMA, on behalf of the Fox Valley community. She looks forward to creating and talking with you about art, life, death, and everything in between!
PARKING AND NAVIGATION
May 3 at the Trout Museum of Art: We are located at 111 W College Avenue Appleton, WI 54911. There is a parking ramp across the street on the corner of Lawrence and Appleton Street and metered street parking as well.
Please use the back entrance which is located off of Kimball Alley near the Bazils patio and glass elevator. There will be signs directing you where to go as well. Note that if class is being held after museum hours, our front entrance will not be open. Class will be held on the 5th floor of the museum in studio two (which is the second classroom down the hall after you exit the elevator).
May 21 and After at the Wichmann Funeral Home Tri-Cty Chapel: Please see this navigation guide, click here.