SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

Exposure Photography Festival, Calgary Contemporary, Alberta, Canada

AIRLOOM, Cassilhaus Collection, Chapel Hill, NC

Memento Mori Biennial, Harry Wood Gallery, Arizona State University

PUBLICATIONS

Of COVID, Anthology edited by Kris Graves & Jon Feinstein, Published by KGP + Monolith Editions

GRANT FUNDING

Puffin Foundation Artist Grant

PROJECT STATEMENT

You & I Are Earth explores the resurgence of eco-conscious burial, grieving, and memorial rites. Over the last two years I have researched & photographed contemporary approaches to natural burial for this project.

Natural burial is a way of caring for the dead that minimizes environmental impact and aids in the preservation of endangered land. Natural burial cemeteries prevent the use of typical toxic embalming chemicals, concrete, steel, herbicides and pesticides, while working to ensure that only biodegradable materials enter the earth. With these regulations in place many natural burial grounds also serve as nature sanctuaries and undertake significant conservation projects such as restoring wetlands and woodlands, or reinstating wildlife habitats. Equally important, natural burial also facilitates a return to nature-centered grieving & memorial rituals such as creating burial mounds and organic monuments by hand.

Natural burial rites have been used for millennia and, until the mid-19th century, were the dominant practices throughout the United States. Despite this long history, relatively few people consider natural burial as an option or even know what a present-day “green” cemetery looks like. I only began to research practices of deathcare after the onset of the pandemic and the loss of my grandparents. Mourning these personal and widespread losses also led me to consider my own end-of-life plan.

Early on in my research, the healing benefits of natural burial —both ecological and psychological—resonated with me. At each burial ground I visit, I encounter traces of grief and growth; well-worn walking paths, carefully tended flower beds, hand-made memorials, and burial mounds receding into verdant thickets of new growth. Some of the grave-sites are easily identifiable, however, others are purposefully unmarked or have become indiscernible from the overall environment. As Carolina Memorial Sanctuary states, “each burial becomes part of the living landscape.” Natural burial grounds are dynamic ecosystems, places where individuals can observe and contribute to communal growth, grieving, and regeneration.

More information on Natural Burial: greenburialcouncil.org | conservationburialalliance.org