On Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, at 11.30 a.m. Joseph Gallivan interviews artist and end-of-life doula Marne Lucas about the Bardo Project and Chris Brunkhart's landscape photographs of Iceland, which are on show now until October 26 at Portland Arts Collective in downtown Portland.
Brunkhart, who died in 2016, was a Portlander and an action photographer specializing in snowboarding. When he was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer, he toured Iceland with his husband and with Marne Lucas as his doula, taking dramatic color and black-and-white photos of the volcanic island. Lucas talks about working with artists and the urgency of their impending deaths, how it has become her life’s mission to help dying artists form a legacy, and preparing the photos for printing after they had sat on Brunkhart's laptop for almost a decade
In some schools of Buddhism, bardo is an intermediate state between death and rebirth.
Lucas is offering a series of free workshops throughout October.
This show was recorded on an iPhone 14 on Oct 4, and edited by Joseph Gallivan.
Special note - I am looking for work as a writer/broadcaster right now. Find me on LinkedIn
From the press release:
Chris Brunkhart (1968-2016)
Chris hailed from Portland, Oregon, where we were acquaintances. We become close friends when I was in Harlem and he lived in Brooklyn, New York with his husband Ezekiel Martin-Brunkhart. A self-taught photographer, Chris was known as the “Ansel Adams” of the newly emerging sport of snowboarding in the 1990’s, giving the sport a new stark look. His friends called him “Dark Star”. Chris was my first Bardo ∞ Project collaborator, for which I am forever indebted and honored.
https://www.marnelucas.com/bardo-project-home-page/project-one-tjhlw
THE BARDO ∞ PROJECT explores creativity as a form of spiritual care in collaborations with terminally ill artists and creatives nationwide to establish their legacy, and facilitate mind and body integration. I present relics from these journeys to illuminate the positive effects of art, and educate the public about end of life care options. Western society avoids confronting death. We are conditioned to treat people with terminal diagnoses in a fragile manner and not as themselves. I collaborate with dying artists to make their lives vibrant, and facilitate legacy projects to celebrate their life’s work. I document the process and present works by my collaborators. “Bardo” is the Tibetan word for the transitional existence between death and rebirth. Living with life-limiting illness and the dying process are similarly "in between" states and are opportunity for introspection and honesty.
As artistic collaborator I assist the dying to arrive at peace and acceptance within a short time frame, making their portrait, conduct interviews, and aid them in defining their creative legacy via unique and collaborative works.
https://www.portlandartscollective.org/upcomingevents
WORKSHOPS and COLLABORATORS
Honoring a Loved One with Rituals of Remembrance by Lana S. Price
Saturday, October 5, 2024. 12pm - 2pm.
How can we continue to honor special people who have died, even as we fully live our own lives? Join us for this intimate 2-hour workshop where we engage in reflective writing exercises and create sensory rituals to connect with cherished memories. Through shared experiences, we'll transform grief from a private experience to a collective conversation about death, love, and remembrance. Space is limited to ensure a supportive environment; please register to reserve your spot and bring a photo of your loved one for the remembrance board.
Lana S. Price (she/her), is a visual artist who works with the bereaved to make portraits that honor loved ones who have died. She exhibits her work around the country, most recently at CVG Gallery in Bremerton, WA (2024), Cordata Gallery in Bellingham, WA (2023), and the Barrett Art Center in Poughkeepsie, NY (2021). She has a Master of Public Administration from NYU and completed courses in Comprehensive Bereavement from the Center for Loss and Life Transition.
https://www.lanasumi.com/
‘Life Cycles: Collage and Shrine Making’ Marne Lucas and Colesie Tharp.
Saturday, October 12, 2024. 12pm - 3pm. Presented by artist/end of life doula Marne Lucas, and end of life doula Colesie Tharp will provide a collage and remembrance shrine making workshop that includes creating personal rituals to honor loss. All materials are provided, and the workshops are free, drop in, all ages. Participants may keep their creations.
Colesie Tharp (she/her) grew up in the beautiful landscape of Eastern Oregon surrounded by her Basque family, whose historical stories led her to pursue deeper exploration of people, community and ritual. She has a background as a teacher and researcher working in Early Childhood Education, and is now a practicing End of Life Doula (EOLD) and Caregiver- an environment that lends itself naturally to hold and celebrate life - all while deeply honoring diverse experiences through practices that meet the individual's beliefs. She received EOLD training at the University of Vermont and received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Lewis and Clark College where she studied Theater. She is currently employed as a caregiver at Hopewell House Hospice as well as a Doula in private homes. Tharp’s EOLD practice includes rituals to be used in the landscape of death and dying: creating intentional spaces, altars, anointing dying loved ones with oils, listening and documenting life stories, and bringing in dear objects from their lives to add to their environment to bring peace and closure.
End of Life Care and Considerations for the Queer Community: an informational session for folks who are looking to find queer specific resources about end of life care and decisions, by Jamie Thrower.
Saturday, October 19, 2024. 12pm - 2pm. Q & A to follow.
Jamie Thrower (she/they) is a queer death doula, grief and loss educator and the founder of Queer Grief Club, an activity-focused grief support meetup group dedicated to reimagining grief spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals. Jamie aims to provide inclusive, compassionate, and empowering spaces where queer grievers can find solace, support, and build community. Queer Grief Club provides resources, guidance, and a community of peers who understand the intersections of queerness and grief. Jamie is also a multimedia artist, weaving collage, linocut prints, watercolor and photography into zines and art pieces on the topics of death, grief and loss. Her EOLD work specializes in Parent/Caregiver loss, pregnancy loss, medical aid in dying, and LGBTQ grief and loss.
https://jamiethrower.com/ Instagram @queergriefdoula
Marne Lucas is a queer multidisciplinary artist and end of life doula working at the intersection of art, science, and health, using conceptual overlaps: life’s energy, the body, and mortality, in social practice investigations. A self-taught artist, her long-term projects are informed by the events and emotions of the community around her, and is inspired by the Death Doula and palliative care movements. An infrared thermal video pioneer, Lucas uses heat-sensitive military grade imaging technology to illuminate the magic and fragility of human life cycles. The ‘Bardo Project explores creativity as a form of spiritual and somatic care in collaborations with terminally ill artists nationwide to establish their legacy. Towards this, Lucas received training as an End of Life Doula, a role that supports the dying and their families.Marne has collaborated with artists, choreographers, dancers, musicians, activist groups, sex workers, health care and LGBTQIA non-profits, and the public at large.
https://www.marnelucas.com/ Instagram @marnelucas, @aquietusendoflifedoula,
Ezekiel “Zeke” Martin Brunkhart, BA, PWE (he/his) a native Oregonian, Zeke left high school early to pursue an independent education and service work in the informal economy. In 2014, after graduating from The New School (New York, NY) with BA in liberal studies, Zeke became a full-time caregiver to his husband Chris, an artist who was fighting an advanced cancer. After his husband’s death in 2016, Zeke struggled to find a path forward. Despite facing unimaginable loss, he emerged from the depths of despair, Zeke has worked for the past three years as a behavioral health first responder, a role that has provided purpose and joy. In his free time, he likes video games, photography, travel, and exploring the philosophical, social, and practical implications of Cybernetics. He manages the creative estate of Chris Brunkhart.
Laura Moya, CM-Th has been a practicing music-thanatologist for over 25 years, using a musical and clinical modality that unites music and medicine in end-of-life care through prescriptive delivery of harp and voice. She is a 1996 graduate of the Chalice of Repose Project in Missoula, Montana and is certified through the Music-Thanatology Association International (MTAI). Laura served as the inaugural President of the MTAI (2002-2006). Laura has been a full-time staff music-thanatologist at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center since 2001, and is actively involved with the development and coordination of the Art, Healing and Wellness Program at St. Vincent’s Hospital which promotes the Arts in Healthcare. Laura was a core faculty member, clinical mentor, and voice instructor for the Music-Thanatology Training Program through Lane Community College from its inception in 2007 to 2015. Moya serves as Program Director to the Accorda Music Thanatology Institute, a 501c3 organization. https://accordaschool.org/
Aurora Josephson is a musician and visual artist who currently resides in Portland, Oregon. Building on the foundation of operatic training and a BA and an MFA in Music Performance from Mills College, she has forged a bold vocal style that is uniquely her own. To unleash the limitless range of sonic possibilities in the voice, Josephson employs a variety of extended and unconventional techniques drawn from the worlds of contemporary composition, improvisation, and rock. She has performed and recorded with Alvin Curran, Gianni Gebbia, Henry Kaiser, Joelle Leandre and William Winant, and musical groups Big City Orchestrae, Flying Luttenbachers, The Molecules, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, T.D. Skatchitband and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. She is currently director to the Portland Arts Collective, a non-profit space serving artists and performers. https://www.aurorajosep
KBOO’s fall fundraiser - yes, Fall 2024
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Just go to kboo.fm/give or text K-B-O-O to 44-321.
It's Fall pledge drive time and we need your money. KBOO is 55 years old, a difficult age.
Art Focus on K-B-O-O Portland is the show where artists talk about their work.
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Joseph Gallivan has been a reporter since 1990. He has covered music for the London Independent, Technology for the New York Post, and arts and culture for the Portland Tribune and for Axios Portland. He is the author of two novels, "Oi, Ref!" and "England All Over" which are available on Amazon.com
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