I hadn’t finished talking to you yet - 'Offering' with Leah Hickey

Grief and bereavement are experiences that often leave us feeling isolated and alone, yet they touch us all. This event invites attendees to explore these complex emotions through the medium of art and discusion. Artist Leah Hickey will share work from her Offering series, which was made in direct response to the artist losing her father. Seeking meaning in grief, Leah was drawn to alleged family lineage; she had been told she comes from a ‘line of Druids’ a sect that existed throughout ancient England, Ireland and Northern Europe who, amongst other things, conducted ritual sacrifices and made offerings to God in bodies of water. Leah and Lucy Elmes from Rame Projects will chair a discussion using this project as a starting point, and participants will be invited to share refelections, responses, and their own expereinces of connections between art and grief. Leah Hickey (b. 1996, Walsall, UK) is an artist led by heartache. Hickey uses English Romantic poetry and auto-fiction as a starting point for rhythmic verse, typographic painting and gravestones. The artist currently produces Emotional Outbursts, a 'part-fact, part-fiction otherworld of love letters' that merges free verse poetry and Early Modern English language with contextual research, which has manifested in print form. Hickey also co-directs Prayer Room, an artist-led gallery in Birmingham, UK, and recently founded Tentative Press. In addition to the discussion, an art therapist will be present to provide on-site support for attendees. The therapist will offer a quiet area for those needing personal space to reflect or have one-on-one conversations, ensuring everyone feels safe and supported. There will also be an activity station where participants are invited engage in creative exercises to help process their emotions in a hands-on way while remaining part of the collective experience after the discussion. This event aims to create a space where grief can be acknowledged, expressed, and shared, fostering connection and understanding through art. Please get in touch with us at rameprojectscornwall@gmail.com if there is any way in which we can support your participation in the event, or if there is any information that would be helpful for us as event organisers to know - for example, allergies, access requirements, etc. Please bring a cushion, blanket, etc - whatever you need to feel comfortable in the space, as we will be sitting on the floor. If you would like a chair please let us know ahead of time.