Rituals Of Remembering: Fall Celebration!

Rituals of Remembering: Fall Celebration In this final Rituals of Remembering of the Season we will come together to enjoy food and live music as we reflect on our time together during the series and build a collective altar celebrating our lost loved ones. We invite you to contribute our community altar which we will build together in the gazebo. You are welcome to bring a photo of your loved one or a sentimental item from home for the altar as well, which you will take when you leave. We will also have supplies for you to write or draw your contributions if you are not able to bring anything, as well as a variety of flowers that you can place. We will reflect on our time together and create art and build a collective altar in the garden to honor and celebrate our departed loved ones. Lunch and snacks will be provided. We are also excited to welcome musician and artist Abdoulaye Conde. Abdoulaye Conde is a self-taught visual artist and musician from Conakry, Guinea, now based on the north side of Chicago. Abdoulaye is known for his vibrant and culturally rich artwork which blends tradition and contemporary influences inspired by his Malinke heritage and experiences across cultures. Abdoulaye is also a skilled multi-instrumentalist, most notably playing the kora. Through his art and music, Abdoulaye celebrates resilience, joy, tradition and unity. All ages are welcome—we will have a youth facilitator doing an age-appropraite parallel activity with children. Please let us know if you will bring your kids and how many! This event is FREE and open to everyone. Please reach out via Contact the organizer feature with any questions about the event or accessibility. ________________________ Rituals of Remembering is a discussion and creative activity-based workshop series that aims to provide a space and structure for participants to open and deepen our experience of grief, loss, and remembering beyond the death of those we love, using the garden space as the central theme. Each month will focus on a particular theme and related activity and invite participants to discuss rituals of remembering together in a group setting. Each activity will also give opportunities to incorporate remembering directly into the garden space, so that community members may return to remember in the garden beyond the workshop series. Events can be attended individually or as a series in 2025 one Saturday a month in March, April, May, June, August, September, and October 2025. This event series resented in partnership with Mothers ona Mission28, Moms Demand Action Oak Park/Austin, NeighborSpace, and Healing Illinois. Artist/Facilitator: A.Martinez (she/her) is an interdisciplinary visual artist, poet, mother, and facilitator living in Chicago. Her work explores grief, rituals, ecology, and Motherhood. Alyssa’s social practice involves participatory community gatherings including those for mothers in the arts. In addition to her creative work, Alyssa works as an arts administrator for music performance organizations and is an avid gardener, and loves exploring the world with her kid. Youth Facilitator: Gabriella (Gaby) Martinez is a multi-disciplinary performing artist and educator living in Chicago, IL. She is a facilitator and advocate for inclusion and accessibility. She grew up in Cleveland, OH and earned a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Dance. Gaby continues to find connections between both realms of study through her practices, performances, and teachings. Being outside and tending to nature brings her much joy and she is happy to share in community. More Info below.