Art of a Good Death

What does it mean to die well? The answer is deeply personal to everyone, but research suggests a “good death” is one without pain, in a place of one’s choosing. It is a time to be surrounded by loved ones, and to say goodbye. It reflects our values, respects our choices, and has meaning. This joint exhibition of two projects presented by the Isenberg Lab at the Bruyère Health Research Institute invites audiences to reflect on what a “good death” means to them.

The Art of a Good Death features selected works from a national art competition seeking to translate the academic literature on a “good death” into art. Six artists from four provinces across Canada are featured.

Roots of Wisdom features an interactive tree sapling that invites audiences to reflect and share how their personal values, goals, and meaning around death affect their end-of-life decision making. This is the first of a two-phase project, where the audience responses will nourish the sapling into a fully-grown tree that will return at a later exhibition.

Viewers will have the opportunity to share their reflections and reactions to the exhibition through an online survey (QR code provided on-site) that will inform future arts-based research.

The "A Good Death Art Competition" is funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Planning and Dissemination Grant.

"Roots of Wisdom" is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant.