The Creative HeARTs workshop include parents participating in different types of creative arts to help process and grieve the loss of their babies. We work with participants to determine which types of artmaking suit their interests and needs. Previously we have done activities such as scrapbooking, assemblage art, card making, working with an animal-assisted therapy dog, jewelry making, writing, yoga, and having a "birthdate party" including decorating cupcakes to celebrate and mourn participants' babies' due dates. Other possibilities include collaging, poetry, comic book making, painting, music making, and much more. No experience is necessary and participants are not required to be “creative people” or “good at art!”

 

Our workshops are grounded in theory and research that suggest that when people experience trauma, such as baby loss, storytelling and art can help them makes sense of their baby's death and find ways to go on living in the face of tremendous tragedy. In adddition to this narrative focus, we design our activities to help parents process emotions such as hurt, anger, guilt, shame, and fear by engaging with emotions, including empathy, compassion, forgiveness, and hope. Through this process of artmaking and storysharing, our participants too build a strong community of support with one another.  

 

As one of the additional goals of The Scraps of the Heart Project is educating communities about baby loss, participants will have the opportunity to showcase pieces of their art from the workshop at an exhibit we are hosting at The University of Denver's Museum of Anthropology from February to March 2017.

​

The session will be a closed group, meaning that we are asking all participants to sign up ahead of time and commit to attending all six sessions. Space is limited so we encourage those interested to sign up immediately.  

 

The workshop is free of charge. For agreeing to be a part of The Scraps of the Heart Project research study, participants will be compensated with a $100 Target gift card.*

  

Parents with any type of pregnancy or baby loss are welcome. The group is not open to those who are currently pregnant, but we encourage you to contact us if you are interested in participating in a Pregnancy After Loss (PAL) Creative HeARTs workshop.  

 

We will meet at the University of Denver.

 

Please email us with questions or to reserve a space. You may also click the button below to register.

 

 

 

*In order to receive compensation, participants need to participate for at least five hours. This includes time spent in workshops and working on activities outside of the workshops.