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Your Last Garment: Exploring the Burial Shroud through History, Writing, Meditation, and Creating Your Own Bespoke Piece of Funerary Finery


  • ZOOM (attend anywhere) 1800 Hertel Avenue Buffalo, NY, 14216 United States (map)

Tickets here: https://www.morbidanatomy.org/classes/wr2c8s5t5cxindtoxnf8iemygdos6g-swwjt

5-week online course
Dates: Tuesdays, March 21 to April 18
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm EDT
Admission: $145 Patreon members/$150 General Admission

PLEASE NOTE: All classes will also be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time, but it is highly recommended you attend the classes live for the richest experience.

From animal skins lovingly wrapped around early humans to elaborate garments for Incan sacrifices to tender hand-embroidered linen made for a dear grandmother, many cultures and historical times have used a shroud to offer dignity and respect to our beloved dead.

Shrouding can be religiously proscribed, an ecological symbol, or a deeply personal creation. As modern humans curious about our own mortality, this class will provide space for you to meditate on death while creating your very own burial shroud from the design and materials of your choosing.

In this 5-week class, we will learn about historic burial traditions and current burial practices, with an emphasis on shrouds. You will also get the opportunity to explore your feelings around death and dying through writing exercises and meditations, and, finally, we will begin to design and create our own burial shroud. Following the five week period, once monthly drop-in workshops will be available to continue the creation process together and share our thoughts and progress. Shrouds are intended for actual personal use with the possibility of a physical group show in the future to showcase our collective work. This is an intimate, meaty class and may bring up of strong emotions. We will create a container of safety and confidentiality in our first class.

Class will be enhanced with a number of videos, readings, and optional book and website list for further independent study.

Week 1:

  • Opening Meditation

  • Introductions and creating a safe container to share and work together

  • History of human burial with an emphasis on shrouds.

  • In class writing assignment

Week 2:

  • Current burial trends and issues surrounding green burial.

  • Styles and Types of Shrouds

  • Ways to measure and create a shroud.

  • How to shroud a body for green burial.

  • Homework

Week 3:

  • Korean Death Meditation

  • Present initial shroud ideas and sketch

  • Begin work in class together on your project

Week 4:

  • Short meditation

  • In class writing assignment

  • Second hour to work on project in class

Week 5: Final Student Final Presentations (expected to be work in progress)

Following completion of class, once or once every other month free drop in workshop to continue working on our shrouds together (in virtual space).