Victorian hairwork became very popular in both jewelry and shadowbox form during the 19^th century and into the beginning of the 20^th century. It transcended the concept of a wearable human relic into a fashion statement during this time period.

In today’s workshop, participants will learn to create wire-work items that would be used in shadowbox creation. We will be working with copper wire and horsehair to form intricate twists and braiding that can be manipulated in various ways to form flowers, leaves, berries, and other shapes. Participants will be able to make an item suitable for mounting in a frame, or wearing as a brooch or hairclip.

Karen Bachmann
M.A., History of Art, Purchase College, State University of NY
B.F.A., Sculpture/Jewelry, Pratt Institute

Karen Bachmann specializes in jewelry, hollowware, and decorative art. She has special interests in medieval, memento mori , Renaissance,Baroque, and 19^th century hairwork.  She has been collecting Victorian hairwork jewelry and wall pieces for many years and is often called upon to loan her pieces to museums and lecture on the subject. Her studio work revolves around modern iterations of the genre of hairwork, incorporated into jewelry, wearable art, and decorative objects. She is a practicing studio jeweler with over 25 years of experience creating fine jewelry and is a former master jeweler at Tiffany & Co. She has exhibited her work extensively which can be found in international private and public collections. At Pratt, she teaches in both the Art History and Fine Art departments. She is also an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Karen is a former artist and scholar in residence at the Morbid Anatomy Museum in Brooklyn. Her work has been published in Art Jewelry today and the Lark 500 series of books. Published works include “Hairy Secrets: Human Relic as Memory Object in Victorian Hairwork Jewelry” and “Queen of the Stone Age: the Venus of Willendorf”. Her most recent publication is an essay on hairwork in Death: A Graveside Companion, by Thames & Hudson.

The Paths of Glory Lead But to the Grave: Cemeteries, Literature, and the Quest for the Good Death

For millennia, people have sought out burial places as a source of reflection. From the universal medieval artistic concept of memento mori, to modern explorations of reframing grief like Joan Didion’s Year of Magical Thinking death has helped to give life meaning. American burial places in particular have served as both the inspiration for and source of a varied and impressive canon of literary works. This lecture will examine the connection between literature and cemeteries and explore how these spaces and ideas can continue to be a source of inspiration for modern mourners seeking meaning and peace.  

Elizabeth Clappin is an architectural historian who specializes in cemeteries and funerary architecture. She holds a BA in anthropology from the University of Rhode Island and an MFA in Architectural History from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She is a trustee of the Association for Gravestone Studies and is their Digital Program Coordinator. She is employed as an Urban Planner by the City of Atlanta Historic Preservation Studio, and in addition to historic design review, oversees the city’s programming and policies for their 90 historic cemeteries. Since 2019 she has hosted a podcast on the history and culture of American cemeteries called Tomb with a View. 

Death Guide + Hospice Nurse, Founder of End With Ease LLC

Sarah is a registered nurse who has worked exclusively in home care, palliative, and hospice care since 2015.  As a hospice nurse, she found that the most challenging part of a patient’s journey was the fear of the unknown and the avoidance of conversations that can bring sadness or discomfort.

She discovered that the most peaceful deaths came to those who were curious and open—those who wanted to have autonomy over the end of their life.

Through her business, End With Ease, Sarah empowers people to have agency over their death by explaining, with honesty and compassion, what occurs during the dying process and what options are available—from palliative or hospice care to symptom management and ceremony creation.

Her work clarifies misinformation and gently encourages openness, helping people build a more peaceful relationship with death so they can live more presently and with gratitude.

Sarah’s deepest wish is that all humans may meet their end without resistance or fear—and with comfort, compassion, and peace.

@gooddeathnurse

Death, Dying, and Bereavement: Pagan Perspectives and Practices
In Pagan traditions, death is understood as a sacred transition within the natural cycles of life, decay, and renewal. This presentation explores perspectives on death and the afterlife, ancestral relationships, and the role of ritual at the thresholds of dying and mourning. Participants will be introduced to Pagan death practices such as crossing over, funerary rites, psychopomp work, ancestor veneration, and seasonal rites of remembrance. We will also examine Pagan approaches to grief and bereavement, honoring grief as sacred, embodied, and cyclical rather than linear.This session offers insight into how Pagan practices can provide meaning, presence, and compassionate support for the dying, the bereaved, and those who hold space for them both personally and professionally.
The Temple of Witchcraft, a 501(c)3 religinonprofit organization based in New Hampshire with chapters across the United States (including Connecticut) and other countries.

Lori Ouellette
Lori Ouellette is a High Priestess and ordained minister and has been a member of the Temple of Witchcraft since 2016. She is a Deputy Minister for the Scorpio Ministry and focuses on hospice care, bereavement, pastoral care, and ancestor work. She is a mother, lifelong educator and death doula. Lori has worked as a hospice pastoral care aide, spiritual care coordinator and bereavement group facilitator. She also serves as a ritualist with the Temple of Witchcraft in Connecticut, a teaching assistant and mentor in the Mystery School and as a tour guide for local historic cemeteries. In her free time, Lori enjoys traveling to sacred sites, communing with ancestors and working plant spirits in her garden or in the kitchen.

Authentic Matters: Julie Blitzer

Our bodies are sacred vessels that perform incredible feats on a regular basis and share important information with us. They also hold a lot of emotion and stuck energy which limits their capacity to work optimally.This experience of guided and free-form movement aims to help participants shift stuck energy and express without overthinking. It’s a chance to connect with one’s self and others somatically.
Participants should wear clothing they’re comfortable moving in and bring water.

Julie Blitzerhelps people process significant losses through a program called The Grief Recovery Method, and is a trained End-of-Life Doula and Funeral Celebrant, as well as a Hoffman Process Graduate Leader. She leads movement classes to help people get out of their heads and into their bodies. Her website is: www.authenticmatters.net

Guide the future: How to share your legacy and care wishes

‘Be it with our spouse, adult children or other loved ones, it’s really hard to talk about what we want our last chapter to look and feel like. But honestly, what could be more important? In this conversation we will take some steps together, cover some important topics, ease some fear and anxiety and make sure what matters most to you is shared with who matters most to you.’

www.gracefulbridge.com
gracefulbridge@gmail.com

Susan Stout
Susan Stout is a certified End-of-life Doula, Speaker and Educator living in Stamford. When she first told her family and friends that she felt called to work in this area, everyone said “Yup, of course that’s what you will be doing.” That felt like a good first
step, and what she discovered is that death work is also life work. Being aware of our mortality can be an incredible way to connect with a beautiful, unpredictable and often challenging life. And how we leave this life means everything to those we leave behind. How we do that leaving, well that’s what the all planning and conversations are for- so it is as peaceful, meaningful and graceful as possible. Because we all deserve that ease.

“An Embodied Exploration of the Life/Death Cycle through Five Elements Qigong”.  In this workshop we will explore the cyclical nature of life and death through a gentle qigong sequence called the Five Elements. Qigong is literally translated as “energy work” and is a form of traditional Chinese medicine. Qigong, like Tai chi, is an ancient movement practice that encourages integration and wellbeing. The movement can be done either seated or standing, requires no special clothing or props, and is fully accessible. No prior experience is required.

Judith Ehrman-Shapiro, PhD
Judith Ehrman-Shapiro is a dance-movement therapist, transpersonal psychologist, yoga/qigong instructor, and end-of-life doula. She worked for 30 years at Waterbury Hospital in the Department of Psychiatry and is currently in her 12^th year of private practice at the Evolving Center in Winsted. Judith pursues an embodied and active approach to wellness which is holistic and creative in nature.

Closer Than You Think: A Meditation on Impermanence

We’re good at keeping death somewhere else. Later, distant, not now. This talk and guided meditation gently disrupt that. Through reflection and guided practice, Chris Grosso invites participants to turn toward mortality in a direct but grounded way. Not as an idea, but as something quietly shaping our lives in real time. Together, we’ll explore what happens when we stop treating death like a future event and begin to notice how it is already informing what matters, what we hold onto, and what we avoid. Not morbid. Not abstract. Simply honest, and… human.

Chris Grosso’s work lives at the intersections most people prefer to avoid: addiction, grief, dying, and the stubborn human instinct to keep going anyway.

He is a writer, speaker, musician, and author of four books — Indie Spiritualist, Everything Mind, Dead Set On Living, and Necessary Death — published by Simon & Schuster, Sounds True, and HCI. He contributes to Revolver Magazine, FANGORIA, and Huffington Post, and has spoken at Wanderlust Festival, Kripalu, and the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, among others.

Grosso speaks and leads groups in detoxes, rehabs, hospitals, youth centers, and, occasionally, yoga studios, for balance. He has also worked with hospice, Alzheimer’s and dementia residents, and unhoused individuals — which is its own kind of spiritual practice, whether you sign up for it that way or not.

He hosts The Indie Spiritualist Podcast on Ram Dass’s Be Here Now Network.

Understanding medical aid in dying: what it is, where it’s legal, and advocacy efforts underway in Connecticut.

Compassion & Choices is a nationwide nonprofit organization with the mission to improve care, expand options, and empower everyone to chart their own end-of-life journey. They provide community education and free resources related to end-of-life care planning. They also work within the legislature to advocate for policies allowing patients to receive the healthcare that aligns with their wants, needs, and priorities. C&C’s team of Connecticut advocates has been working together for nearly 15 years in support of legislation to authorize medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults.  

At the symposium, Compassion & Choices will offer free resources and information about end-of-life care and planning. Staff and volunteers are excited to talk with community members about things like advanced directives, healthcare proxies, navigating a dementia diagnosis, and more.  You can also learn about efforts to pass medical aid in dying legislation in the state of Connecticut, and how you can get involved with the movement. 

Will also have a table as a vendor.

Dan Diaz
Advocate for End-of-Life Options

Dan Diaz is a nationally recognized advocate for end-of-life options and a powerful voice in the movement to expand access to medical aid in dying. He is the husband of Brittany Maynard, the 29-year-old woman whose decision to seek medical aid in dying after a terminal brain tumor diagnosis brought national attention to the issue in 2014.

In honoring Brittany’s wishes, Dan relocated with her from California to Oregon so she could access the state’s Death with Dignity Act, an option not available in California at the time, and ensure a peaceful and gentle dying process. Following her death, he made a commitment to carry forward her legacy and has since become a leading advocate for compassionate end-of-life policies.

Working alongside Compassion & Choices, Dan has helped drive significant progress in the movement, contributing to the expansion of medical aid in dying laws from just four states in 2014 to 14 jurisdictions today. Through public speaking, media engagement, and legislative advocacy, he shares both his personal story and his own deeply informed perspective to advance access for terminally ill individuals nationwide.

Dan’s advocacy is rooted not only in love and loss, but in a commitment to ensuring that all people have the autonomy, dignity, and options they deserve at the end of life.

Dancing Soul Deathcare
Learn more about green burials and alternatives. Leave with knowledge on body dispositions, cost, information on Connecticut hybrid cemetaries and natural burial preserves in near by states.

Kate Bagnati of Dancing Soul Deathcare is an End of Life Doula, wife and mother of 3, she is the events and social media coordinator for the Connecticut Death Collective and JumpSTARs. Originally from Geneva, New York, she has been living in Connecticut since 2004. In her spare time she enjoys being in nature, creating art, gardening, birding, swimming, and dancing Bollywood. 
Having end of life conversations, providing information and education while we are still alive is her passion. There is a great need to empower fellow humans to make their own choices so they can feel safe and supported in their end of days. Time is fleeting, she’d like to spend the rest of hers making connections, growing community, and holding space for others in great times of transition.

Will be at the CT Death Collective Table.

Smart Funeral Planning

More than a seminar, this is a guided experience designed to shift the way we think about death and planning ahead. Attendees will explore evolving traditions, discover personalized options, and walk away with a clearer, more empowered approach to end-of-life decisions.

Sahara Farrugio
Sahara Farrugio is a licensed funeral director, certified celebrant, and founder of Smart Funeral Planning. Through workshops, Death Cafés, and personalized planning experiences, she helps individuals and families approach end-of-life decisions with intention, education, and peace of mind—proving that thoughtful preparation is one of the greatest gifts you can leave behind. 

Diane Santostefano, MBA, EOLD
Exploring how hospices and end-of-life doulas collaborate to better support patients, caregivers, and community care.

Diane holds an MBA and is EOLD and NEDA Proficient, with over 35 years of experience in leadership, team building, strategic planning, training, and public speaking across corporate, educational, and nonprofit settings. She has served for seven years as Hospice Program Volunteer Coordinator at Middlesex Health System in Middletown, Connecticut, and is a member of the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion Steering Committee. Diane is a former Vice President and Membership Committee Chair of the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance and is currently a member of the National Alliance for Care at Home. She is passionate about normalizing conversations around end-of-life planning and care.

AI-generated eulogies. Digital afterlife planning. Chatbots trained on someone’s entire life to “keep them alive” forever.  The death tech space is full of promises – and a lot of unrealized hype.  Join us for a presentation from Catherine at Death Project Manager, breaking down what AI actually means, where it’s being used in death space, and what to watch out for when technology meets mortality.

Catherine from Death Project Manager brings project management principles to death planning, transforming overwhelming death logistics into manageable, meaningful preparation. This talk will combine her perspective and work experience in both technology and death education. Beyond legacy planning, Catherine has hosted transformative death education events globally, including founding Silent Book Club of Death with over 20 chapters worldwide. She believes death conversations belong in community spaces where people can reflect on and prepare for their mortality together.

Catherine, your Death Project Manager

info@deathprojectmanager.com

deathprojectmanager.com

Will also have a table as a vendor.

In this experiential session, Daniel DeLoma will explore the final seventy-two hours of life, a sacred and liminal passage honored across cultures from ancient Egypt to the biblical tradition and the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Using Meditative Heartbeat Therapy (MHbT), an integrative method blending contemplative practice, ritual, and physiological attunement, participants will learn how simple rhythms and mindful presence can support comfort, connection, and peace during this critical time.

Through short demonstrations using a live heartbeat, a drum, and even a wooden frog, attendees will experience the practice firsthand and learn how MHbT can be adapted for patients, families, caregivers, and anyone interested in contemplative approaches to death and dying. This session is interactive and participatory, inviting both professionals and the general public to engage, reflect, and explore the profound impact of presence and rhythm in the final hours of life.

No prior experience with MHbT or integrative therapies is required, making this session accessible and engaging for all.

Chaplain Daniel DeLoma, M.Th., MSPC, is a medical theologist, hospice chaplain, and founder of Meditative Heartbeat Therapy (MHbT), an integrative contemplative practice that blends physiology, spirituality, and ritual presence in end-of-life care. He is the author of Meditative Heartbeat Therapy: A Contemplative Guide to Presence, Rhythm, and Care at End of Life (Apocryphile, 2025).

With more than ten years of hospice and palliative experience including global work and bedside care in homes, inpatient units, and community settings, Daniel focuses on the critical final 72 hours of life, creating calm, meaningful, and sacred space for those dying and their families. He is a certified Reiki Master and trained End-of-Life Doula and Educator, and serves as Waveny LifeCare Network in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Daniel speaks and teaches internationally at symposiums, conferences, and workshops, as well as on podcasts, sharing contemplative end-of-life care practices, Meditative Heartbeat Therapy, and techniques for fostering presence during the final hours of life.

Rebecca (Becca) Allen, LCSW

Gravestone Girls
The Gravestone Girls are cemetery artists, historians, and educators dedicated to preserving and interpreting early American gravestone art and burial grounds. Blending art, history, and hands-on learning, they create sculptural works inspired by original colonial-era tombstones and traditional carving techniques. Their programs include teaching responsible and conservation-minded gravestone rubbing, leading engaging walking tours within historic cemeteries, and offering illustrated lectures and presentations on the evolution of cemeteries, symbolism, and gravestone design. Through their work, they help communities connect with local history while promoting respect and stewardship for these sacred spaces.

Gravestone Girls create handmade cast replicas of original New England tombstones from the 17^th & 18^th centuries.  Each piece comes with a history card to preserve the name of the person, location of the graveyard and message behind the imagery.  Their plaques can be hung on the wall or displayed in a stand, their magnets will make your fridge happy & their tombstone chocolate is delicious!

“Welcome to the Graveyard” is a ‘virtual tour’ chronicling cemetery art, history and symbolism.  From colonial New England burial grounds of the 16 & 1700s, through the nation-wide rural cemetery movement of the 19th century and into 21st century locations, the program examines why we have cemeteries and gravestones, why they look like they do and how styles and art have evolved over almost 400 years.  The presentation is robust with photographs of original gravestones and burial grounds from cemeteries visited by Gravestone Girls over many years.

MAKE SURE TO BY THE GRAVESTONE GIRLS’ TABLE

www.GravestoneStudies.org

Brenda Sullivan

Brenda Sullivan has been studying and presenting on the art, history, and symbolism of gravestones and cemeteries for more than 30 years.  A lifelong Massachusetts resident, she has spent many hours in graveyards all over the world.  An education in Art History and restoration led to the creation of Gravestone Girls from a hobby to a full-time vocation.  Gravestone Girls’ mission is to “Keep Our Dead Alive” through educational lectures, tours, classes and creation of art replicas of New England gravestones.  Annually, Brenda works with many libraries, historical societies, genealogy groups, museums and other institutions nationwide to raise awareness and teach citizens what history lies buried under their feet.

PRESENTATION
“Welcome to the Graveyard” is a ‘virtual tour’ chronicling cemetery art, history and symbolism.  From colonial New England burial grounds of the 16 & 1700s, through the nation-wide rural cemetery movement of the 19th century and into 21st century locations, the program examines why we have cemeteries and gravestones, why they look like they do and how styles and art have evolved over almost 400 years.  The presentation is robust with photographs of original gravestones and burial grounds from cemeteries visited by Gravestone Girls over many years.

Christina Jewell

Christine Jewell is a multidisciplinary artist and educator whose fiber arts practice includes hand-crafted bags, pouches, and Buddhist-inspired banners exploring ritual, material memory, and devotional making. She also provides cultural consulting through Devotions Works and serves as a primary source researcher and tour leader for the Ancient Burying Ground Association, developing public programs on colonial gravestone history and America 250 initiatives.

Sarah Lasswell

Moss & Thistle Farm
Sarah Lasswell is a willow casket weaver and shroud maker in the Appalachian foothills of western North Carolina. She welcomes clients as active participants in the creation of their or their loved one’s burial vessel, and the resulting works reflect both the beauty of the natural world and the unique beings they will carry home into the earth. Sarah has an MPH in Community Health, is a certified Thanatologist, and serves as Executive Director of The Sophia Center for Life Studies, a small nonprofit supporting natural burial and community deathcare

Finnley Lockwood

The Strangest Places
Jewelry and keepsakes crafted from preserved botanical specimens celebrating life and death.

Understanding the key aspects of planning can bring peace of mind to you and your loved ones. This presentation will guide you through the essential steps of end-of-life planning using the comforting analogy of “Getting Your House in Order.” 

Learn practical strategies for organizing important documents, making key decisions, and ensuring your wishes are honored. No matter where you are in the process, this discussion will provide clarity and actionable steps to help you and your family prepare with confidence.

RIVERSIDE CEMETERY