'Thanatopsis: Contemplations on Death, Grief, and Renewal'

‘Thantatopsis- Contemplations on Death, Grief, and Renewal’ is a partnership program presented by the Royal Nebeker Gallery at Clatsop Community College and Astoria Visual Arts, in Astoria, Oregon, September 21 - October 22, 2026 featuring an art exhibition and five accompanying public events and workshops that foster deeper connection through discussion and creativity. Community members are invited to reflect on mortality, grief, healing, and the shared experience of loss.

The month-long art exhibition ‘Thanatopsis’ at the Royal Nebeker Gallery is by three female visual artists who are practicing end-of-life doulas (EOLD). Marne Lucas  (Portland, OR) conceived the show, in collaboration previously with Dardinelle Troen (Astoria, OR), and recently invited Emma Lewis Acker (Brooklyn, NY). ‘Thanatopsis’ is a new iteration for the Royal Nebeker Gallery that includes collage, assemblage works on paper, sculpture, photography on paper and silk derived from black and white infrared thermal (IRT) video, and collaborative altars. As part of the exhibition and workshop programming, Colesie Tharp (Portland, OR) will present an interactive Remembrance Altar on the CCC campus, and at Astoria Visual Arts.

A moderated in-person conversation will take place at the Royal Nebeker Gallery on October 16, 2026, with Emma Lewis Acker, Marne Lucas, Colesie Tharp, Dardinelle Troen, and moderator Jo Brickman are all practicing end-of-life doulas (EOLD). They will discuss their relationship to end-of-life care, and to each other as artists and doulas, and their artistic processes and materials. An opportunity for questions and answers will follow. End-of-life care advocacy materials will be made available throughout the duration of the exhibition, and at the related workshop series held at the Astoria Visual Arts gallery in downtown Astoria.

Astoria Visual Arts will host Marne Lucas and Dardinelle Troen, and other facilitators who will lead a series of informational events in October exploring end-of-life care advocacy, death, grief, loss, and healing. Programs will take place at the Royal Nebeker Gallery and Astoria Visual Arts and are funded in part by Oregon Humanities with support from Meyer Memorial Trust. All events are free and open to the public.

‘Thanatopsis’ explores end of life, grief and the sense of loss that accompanies death. Through distinct bodies of work, the artists reflect upon impermanence and transformation beyond the physical form. Death is a taboo subject, yet we all eventually arrive there. The aim is to create a space for reflection and to express real emotions. Inviting people to feel emptiness and notice moments of beauty in hard places, while also remembering those who have died. Death is a natural part of the cycle of life, and the artist's work places aesthetic, emotional, and philosophical value on this inevitable transition. The artists share the desire to illuminate and connect through creativity, and find new directions in unexpected transformational paths. The audience can share their own experiences and stories in community, where together we can heal.

An end of life doula or “death doula” is a non-medical emotional, spiritual, and practical support role that advocates for the wishes of the dying person and their loved ones. They can also provide grief support, assist with legacy projects, provide education on the dying process, and help make burial plans. The artists share an ethos of caregiving and end of life care advocacy in art and life.

Gallery Hours - Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm. Weekends by appointment only.

The Royal Nebeker Gallery is free and open to the public, and is ADA accessible. For more information contact Kristin Shauck at kshauck@clatsopcc.edu.