History | Sheila Collins

The Long Arc of Grieving

by Sheila Collins | Sep 28, 2022 | Art & Life, Celebrations, Duality, Family, Gatherings, Grieving, History, Our Children, Past Events, Personal Stories, The Art of Grieving

I awoke feeling shaky last Friday morning. It took me awhile to translate the meaning of that bodily signal and its relationship to my state of wellbeing. Staying with it during a morning meditation, the sensation developed into a subtle sadness. After a few more...

The Arts and the Queen’s Funeral – Part Two

by Sheila Collins | Sep 21, 2022 | Community, Family, Gatherings, Grieving, History, Rituals, Story-telling, The Art of Grieving, the Big Body, Uncategorized, Women, Girls & the Feminine

In honor of Queen Elizabeth II, the world experienced how the arts can be used to celebrate life, and in this case, perhaps unite the world — even for a moment. A funeral’s purpose is to create an experience for the participants and witnesses. The arts are...

Anticipatory Grief and the need for Sanctuary and Belonging

by Sheila Collins | Aug 17, 2022 | Family, Gatherings, Grieving, Health and Wellness, History, Our Children, Past Events, Self-Care, The Art of Grieving, the Big Body, Women, Girls & the Feminine

There is advice we give one another, in InterPlay classes and practices – “Never underestimate the body’s need for reassurance.” When I’m directing the physical warmup, I like to time this comment to accompany a movement we’re doing which I’d describe as a self-hug....

Grieving Personal Losses and Those in our Cultural Body

by Sheila Collins | Jun 30, 2022 | Community, Duality, Environment, Grieving, Health, Health and Wellness, History, Personal Stories, social justice, The Art of Grieving, the Big Body, Women, Girls & the Feminine

The 8 x 8 ft POD was dropped off in my Pittsburgh driveway early Friday morning. Filled to the brim with what I had deemed essential “treasures,” from the California house we were selling, I knew the drill. We had till Monday to empty the container and find a place...

Grief by the Numbers

by Sheila Collins | May 26, 2022 | Community, Environment, Family, Grieving, History, Past Events, Personal Stories, The Art of Grieving, the Big Body

Visiting family in our nation’s capital over the weekend, we took some time to visit the Vietnam Memorial. We walked the concrete path alongside the black granite wall that honors the United States men and women who served in that 20-year war and lost their...

The Art of Communal Grieving

by Sheila Collins | Apr 14, 2022 | Art & Life, Community, Family, Gatherings, Grieving, History, Our Children, Past Events, Personal Stories, social justice, Women, Girls & the Feminine

We’re traveling in a tiny green bug of a car–my nine-year-old granddaughter Krya, my best friend Pam from Pittsburgh and me. Hoping to avoid damage and a fine from the car rental company, we creep slowly over an uneven, sandy, rocky trail of a road in the Morongo...

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Learn the Many, Magical Ways Art Transforms Grieving!

(No art skills required.)

Loss is inevitable, yet too often we bury our grief, pretending we're OK when we're not.

In my new book (COMING SOON), I'll share some uncommon notions about grief and how the arts, and art-making, have transformative powers that take us to the heart of the matter.

The Long Arc of Grieving

The Arts and the Queen’s Funeral – Part Two

Anticipatory Grief and the need for Sanctuary and Belonging

Grief by the Numbers

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