Between the Sea & ME

A Grief & Gratitude Ritual
for the Maine Coastal Community

Saturday, March 9th 2024

3:30-6:30pm
Doors at 3pm
Food to follow the event
Pay-what-you-decide

All proceeds go to support the Island Institute’s Storm Response

A community gathering with a series of workshops, rituals, and performances organized by regenerative artistic training company Hogfish. Centered around the January storms and climate grief, but open to all. With performances by Palaver Strings, Castlebay, and other musical artists. Beverages and sea snacks to follow courtesy of Atlantic Sea Farms and Bangs Island Mussels. Proceeds go to benefit the Island Institute’s Storm Response.

Hogfish is deeply honored to hold an empathetic, safe, and nurturing space for grieving, gratitude, and community. Grief and gratitude are not meant to be solitary, though today many of us grieve and give thanks alone; communal ritual offers the opportunity to witness one another’s pain and joy, share our stories of heartbreak and heart-made, and to hold each other as we journey into the depth of our collective sorrow so that we may more fully experience the joy of being alive and connected to each other and the natural world. 

This event will include:

• poetry and song

• an invocation to the unseen world through spoken word and drumming

• time to grieve and have that grieving witnessed and held

• grounding practices to help us find deep support as we unwind and soften the bracing in our bodies

• the creation of a beautiful shrine

• micro-rituals of guided writing practices that include an opportunity to share and witness in small groups

• gentle somatic movement practices

• culminating in a powerful community grief ritual.

Robin Wall Kimmerer writes, “If grief can be a doorway to love, then let us all weep for the world we are breaking apart so we can love it back to wholeness again.’”   

Please plan to bring any items you’d like to include on our grief and gratitude shrine. Photos, stones, flowers, art, and any meaningful objects which either represent a thread of grief or gratitude that you carry or objects that support you to welcome grief or gratitude — all are welcome. You will take these items home with you. We invite you to bring a short poem to share, a journal and pen for our writing micro-ritual, a reusable travel mug or water bottle for liquids, and whatever you might need or want to be comfortable. We suggest wearing layered, comfortable clothes. The venue has chairs, benches, and cushions, though you may wish to bring your own backjack, kneeling cushion, etc.

Deep gratitude to all the facilitators, artists, and vendors
that have donated their services, goods, wisdom, hearts, and time
to make this possible.

Mike Albert
Atlantic Sea Farms
Bangs Island Mussels
Judith Blanchard
Edwin Cahill
Matt Cahill
Castlebay (Julia Lane & Fred Gosbee)
Ma Chononquena
Bridget Convey
Lucy Dhegrae
Élan (Mike Albert, Meagan McIntyre, & Nicole Rabata)
Maya French
Sarah Goodwin
Elizabeth Horton
Carl Austin Hyatt
Island Institute
Jessica Labonte
Celina Lemieux
Sarah Mays
Meagan McIntyre
Kiley Wilkens O”Brien
Palaver Strings (Maya French & Brianna Fischler)
Nicole Rabata
Songs from Here (Sarah Tuttle & Bridget Convey)
SPACE Gallery
Kathleen Sullivan
Carol Wishcamper