Events

Our founder, Marian Spadone, is available for speaking engagements, presentations, workshops, and events at community centers, places of worship, libraries, bookstores, schools retreat centers, and back yards – just about anywhere people are curious and open to learning.

Marian explains her presentation philosophy:

"As a presenter, I try to balance lightness and humor with a sense of the sacred. In a variety of offerings designed to inform, encourage and inspire, I give people a forum and a kind of permission to think and talk about Death in ways that are creative, sacred, satisfying, and sometimes even fun."

What to Expect from one of our Events

Marian guides you with a mixture of humor, tenderness, wisdom and ceremonial expertise. Come to a lecture, workshop or class where you might:

Explore the connections between art and death
Learn about home funerals and green burials
Begin to create meaningful farewell ceremonies
Fashion and ornament your own shroud
Engage in a "Ceremonial Conversation with Death"™
Paint a cardboard cremation container

Events can be tailored to the needs of your group. For bookings or questions, please contact us >

Catalogue of Events

At A Fine Farewell, we're always looking for new ways to further our mission of changing the way we face death. So we like to provide lots of different opportunities for minds and hearts to listen, learn, and open. What we do falls into 4 categories: Public Speaking, Classes, Workshops and Ceremony.

Public Speaking

Do you have an event that needs a speaker? Contact us! We have a variety of lively presentations lasting anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. Topics include but are not limited to:

A Fine Farewell – An overview introducing the concept of green burials and home funerals through a lecture, a short film excerpt and a discussion. Participants are offered a take-home resource list of books, websites, and more.
Art and the Post-Mortal Body – Accompanied with rare and beautiful images, this talk explores funerary art from various cultures around the world.

Classes from our "Over My Dead Body" Series

As an artist, our founder Marian Spadone is keenly aware of the value of using deep emotions to create art. She also knows we need to 'lighten up' on the subject of death. Join us in a class where both laughter and tears are welcome as we engage grief and speed healing. Examples are below, or contact us to tailor a course that fits your needs and students.

Creating a Grief Art Collage – In this 1-day course, participants share photos/remembrances of a friend or family member who has died. Then, guided with simple ceremony and soothing music, collages are assembled and shared in a circle. Collage materials provided.
Creating a Sacred Burial Garment – This 8-week session guides participants through a journey of personal transformation. An overview of green and home funerals, cultural customs, and intensive awareness exercises prepares us for embellishing a simple, personal fabric shroud. Participants create a ceremony at the end of the course. Guest artists assist. Simple shroud and embellishments provided.

Workshops

Take a half day, full day or two days to really sink in to a deeper understanding of -and commitment to- changing the way you face death. There's so much to discover! Contact us to set up a workshop for your group. Options include:

Can We Do This At Home? – This hands-on workshop experience provides an overview of a home funeral with demonstrations of shrouds, cardboard caskets, and more. Very interactive, both tears and laughter welcomed.
I Love You... Goodbye – In this workshop, we collaborate with participants in creating a sacred ceremony for letting go. This can be tailored to specific groups, including:
- Veterans who have faced, seen or brought death
- People dealing with the death of a pet
- Children who have lost friends or parents
- Women who have had abortions or miscarriages
- Teens who have lost friends through suicide or substance abuse
  Of this last, Marian says, "My experience in working with teens is that they are immensely grateful for the chance to openly discuss death. After initial resistance, they open up in amazingly tender, creative and beautiful ways."

The Natural Death Care Circle
A Fine Farewell provides support, instruction and assistance in organizing a community Circle to care for the dead. This sacred endeavor can be shared among friends or family or in a larger community. Inspired by the Burial Society in the Jewish tradition, these groups offer their services to care for those in the Circle who have died: arranging for home vigils, bathing, anointing and preparing the body, and supporting the family in their grief process.

If you are interested in starting a Circle of your own, or if you have questions, contact us >

Ceremony

Our founder, Marian Spadone has been inspiring and guiding ceremonial events for over 30 years. Her passion is collaborating with small or large groups to create symbolic transformative journeys. Some examples include;

Ceremonial Conversations With Death™ – collaborative “Sacred Theatre” which is created with group input using music, poetry, costumes and a “talking stone” format for deep sharing about Death.
"One's Own Funeral" -inspired by the question "Why wait til my friend is dead to say nice things about her?", we create a funeral ceremony for the 'pre-deceased'! We include all the elements of a bon voyage, with music, art, movement and more. Highly creative, deeply moving. And remember, there's no law saying a funeral can't be fun!

We offer lectures, workshops, and classes that are informative, provocative and empowering – we're dedicated to restoring both rites and rights in caring for the dead