Dying to Know – Art Show

Art show that depicts Alfred Lord Tennyson’s famous quote ‘tis better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all’, with proceeds donated to terminally ill children’s charity, Humming Bird House.

Following its $3.5m renovation earlier this year, the new look Kelvin Grove Funeral Home will host a unique Art Show featuring local artists’ reflections on the Lord Tennyson quote “’tis better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.”

The art show will be open to the public on the 10th and 11th of August, from 9:30am to 3:30pm and is run in partnership with The Cathedral of St. Stephen Art Group (COSSAG) as part of Dying to Know Day.

“Dying to know day is an annual event that invites Australians to host their own gatherings, to normalise the topic of death, with the aim to help people to have healthy relationships with life and inevitable death,” explains Kelvin Grove Funeral Home, Regional Manager, Amanda Newall. “Our event is part of a shifting view of funerals, which is moving toward celebrating life and connecting to our loved ones. We hope that by engaging with the topic our visitors can continue to break the taboo around death.”

The White Lady Funerals and George Hartnett Metropolitan Funerals location has recently become one of Queensland’s largest funeral homes and embodies the needs of modern Australians Amanda continues:

“Our recent renovation project has resulted in a space that has redefined what it means to be a funeral home today and created the perfect space for an art show. Funeral homes were once associated with dark, mournful moments, but our location has been transformed into a bright, reflective and peaceful space.”

The refurbishment also saw the location equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that make it an ideal multi-purpose venue for community events like the art show, which will feature 12 local Brisbane artists: Chris Underwood, Donna Macdonald, Lisa Becker, Michelle Bowden, Michelle Christie, Phoebe Hoffsteede, Ray Marsden, Selene Cochrane, Simone Volbon, Tammy Bowden, Tony Robertson and Cielle Van Vuuran, adds Michelle Bowden, President of COSSAG:

“A funeral home may not be the most obvious location for an art exhibition, but the space is open, provides beautiful lighting, is encased by stunning gardens and offers catering and AV facilities making it a perfect venue. Combine this with the sentiment of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s most famous quote and it becomes a part of the experience of the art itself.”

The exhibition, which will feature a mix of photography, painting, collage and mixed media, also aims to raise funds for Brisbane’s Hummingbird House, a children’s hospice that provides a caring place for children with life-limiting conditions and their families by helping them discover moments and create memories to last a lifetime.

“During the event 20%of all art work sold will be donated to Hummingbird House. While our work is to create a final connection with those we farewell, we wanted our show to help create memories for those who are still with us and need our help.”

For more information on George Hartnett Metropolitan Funerals please visit GHM Funerals website and for White Lady Funerals, head to their website.