Bardo ∞ Project explores creativity as a form of spiritual care in collaborations with terminally ill artists 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 engage the public about end of life care advocacy. A portrait in absentia, "Chris' Hand Holding a Camera" Marne Lucas, 2016, cast brass, PVD coating, found plastic camera. Made at Arts/Industry, a residency at the Kohler Co. Factory program by JMKAC. Western society struggles to deal with terminal illness, conditioning us to treat people in a fragile manner and not as themselves. I collaborate with artists with life-limiting diseases artists to make their lives vibrant, and facilitate legacy projects to best honor their work. I document the process using photography and video, making their portrait and conducting interviews, and, present unique works by my collaborators. “Bardo” is the Tibetan word for the transitional existence between death and rebirth. Living with life-limiting illness and the process of dying are similarly "in between" states and are an opportunity for introspection and honesty. I assist the dying to arrive at peace and acceptance within a short time frame, aiding them in defining their creative legacy via unique and collaborative works. The dying process acts as a space for a person to reflect on their life and career. In witnessing that vulnerability, I'm faced with the question “What is most valuable?"
I travel nationwide to meet and work with these individuals. The artists donate one work to the Bardo ∞ Project permanent collection to be exhibited in galleries, community spaces and museums, beyond their lifespan, keeping their memory alive. I am seeking artist collaborators and investors for the Bardo ∞ Project.
A recent iteration was the exhibition Bardo Project: Oregon, 2024, at Portland Arts Collective Gallery.The Bardo ∞ Project Community Workshops take place alongside theart exhibitions. Recent offerings centered on art making, grief and loss, queer considerations for end-of-life care planning, remembrance, ritual, and healing, and are designed to spark public dialogue about compassionate end of life care options and planning. Bardo ∞ Project has been made possible in part with a 2024 Arts C3 RACC Grant, and 2021, 2018 creative engagement grants from the UMEZ Corporation administered by the LMCC; with additional support provided by Soda/WERKS, FracturedAtlas, Materials for the Arts and Re:Imagine End of Life.
