Dead Good Artists exhibition gives new life to local artwork
During January-April 2025, Pilgrims Hospices collaborated with The Wooden Box Gallery in Ramsgate to develop Dead Good Artists, an exhibition of artwork by people who have died, and the stories behind it.
This was part of Pilgrims’ Compassionate Communities project, working with local communities to encourage more open discussions about death, dying, loss and grief.
People often leave their creative work behind when they die. These legacies can bring comfort and joy to their loved ones. For others, the responsibility of taking care of these memories may not be so easy.
Elspeth Ogilvie’s artwork
Dead Good Artists invited anyone who has become a custodian of a loved one’s artwork to share it for inclusion in a gallery setting, giving it new life. It offered an opportunity to honour and share these personal creations, recognising the individuals behind them – those who are no longer with us.
Exhibitors were invited to attend one of two workshops facilitated by Pilgrims team members, where together they were encouraged to reflect on the profound responsibility of becoming the custodian of someone’s artistic legacy, exploring both the joys and challenges of preserving and carrying forward their creative spirit.
Mark and Jacky Ogilvie from Ashford submitted work by their daughter, Elspeth, who was cared for at Pilgrims Hospice Ashford and died in December 2024.
They said: “As Elspeth died very recently, this exhibition is helping us with grieving her loss. The simple acts of writing a short bio, choosing a photo, selecting and mounting her work, and taking it into the gallery, have been emotionally challenging. But it also feels helpful.
“Elspeth enjoyed participating in Time to Create therapeutic art groups at the Ashford hospice. She never thought her work was “good enough”, so it’s lovely to see it exhibited in the company of others’, and to hear that people are interested. It’s been so nice doing something positive in Elspeth’s memory; this is part of her legacy.”
Mark and Jacky Ogilvie with their daughter Elspeth’s artwork
Another exhibitor said:
“When I saw the callout for the exhibition, I immediately knew that I’d like to submit a piece of my grandfather’s art. He constantly drew and created out of nothing; he’d use the back of a cornflakes box or whatever was laying in the kitchen, and a real mix of media, to create these intricate pieces. It wasn’t as though he could earn his living through art, and it actually means quite a lot to the whole family that it’s now hanging on a gallery wall.”
Visitors enjoyed the exhibition, too: “Very moving. I would like to see this theme return; the accompanying texts are lovely and help the work to come alive.”
Artwork #5 Dead Good Artists
Artwork #6 Dead Good Artists
Artwork #3 Dead Good Artists
Artwork #4 Dead Good Artists
Artwork #2 Dead Good Artists
Artwork #1 Bookmark By Reginald Taylor Dead Good Artists
Some of the artwork featured in the exhibition
Rebekah Sunshine, owner of The Wooden Box Gallery, added:
“I knew it was something that was really needed, but I didn’t quite realise how it was going to impact people. It’s been amazing and moving. It was lovely to work with so many different people, hearing their family’s stories and bringing their loved ones back into our reality to talk about them. I’m so happy that lots of family members had the opportunity to have their loved ones’ artwork on the wall, especially as they may not have done that when they were alive – it’s a really proud moment for them. Pilgrims has been so supportive, especially with organising and facilitating the workshops for our exhibitors.”
Sophie Van Walwyk, Compassionate Communities lead at Pilgrims Hospices, said:
“The Dead Good Artists exhibition was such a wonderful way to celebrate the lives and works of so many talented individuals, who are sadly no longer with us. To help support exhibitors through their ongoing grief journey, Pilgrims created a safe space that encouraged reflection on both the beauty and burden of custodianship together. Learning more about the impact of both the artist’s life and death brought a deeper level of meaning to each piece of art.”
To find out more about Pilgrims Compassionate Communities work, or if you would like to become involved in creating a compassionate community in east Kent, please visit pilgrimshospices.org/compassionate-communities.
Each year, Pilgrims Hospices care for thousands of people across east Kent, with services provided from its three hospice sites in Ashford, Canterbury, and Thanet, as well as in patients’ own homes. It costs over £17.2 million annually to run these services, much of which comes from the generous support of the local community.
28th March 2025
Compassionate Communities continue to grow in east Kent
Compassionate Communities is part of a growing movement that aims to promote a public health approach to death, dying, loss and grief right at the heart of local communities.
Since the launch of Pilgrims Compassionate Communities strategy in 2024, we have been working with groups and individuals in our local communities, inspiring, supporting and celebrating compassionate activities across east Kent.
Grief is a natural, normal and necessary emotional reaction when someone close to us dies, but when we are affected by grief, it can often leave us feeling overwhelmed, isolated and uncertain of the future. Most people find they are able to cope with their grief with the support they receive from family, friends and their local community. For some people, having the opportunity to meet with other bereaved people, to share their experiences and to make new connections through peer support, can be a helpful way to normalise their feelings and worries.
Here, we recognise some of the work Pilgrims Compassionate Communities has been doing to support local community groups.
Romney Marsh Community Hub Bereavement Support Group
Recognising the need for bereavement support in their local area, Romney Marsh Community Hub recently took the initiative to set up a peer-led support group for adults who are experiencing grief. As part of our Compassionate Communities work, Pilgrims were delighted to support this project by facilitating a grief awareness and compassionate conversation skills training session to staff and volunteers from the Hub. Those who attended found the session very useful – it helped them to understand how grief works, and how to use communication skills effectively to support adults who are grieving. Following the success of this first session, Pilgrims will be delivering a second session at the Hub in April.
Lympne Parish Council Bereavement Support Group
Councillor Anne Beales from Lympne Parish Council recently approached Pilgrims for advice and help in setting up a bereavement support group in their local community. As part of our Compassionate Communities work, we are excited to have this opportunity to collaborate with Anne and her team of volunteers, supporting them to develop and implement a pilot project for members of their local community, starting in April.
To find out more about Pilgrims Compassionate Communities work, or if you would like to become involved in creating a compassionate community across east Kent, please visitpilgrimshospices.org/compassionate-communities.
Each year, Pilgrims Hospices care for thousands of people across east Kent, with services provided from its three hospice sites in Ashford, Canterbury, and Thanet, as well as in patients’ own homes. It costs over £17.2 million annually to run these services, much of which comes from the generous support of the local community.
7th December 2024
The Wooden Box Café, Ramsgate offers grief support to local community
Dawn Baldwin from Ramsgate runs The Wooden Box Café, where she hosts a weekly bereavement support group and various fundraising activities for Pilgrims Hospices.
She supports the local charity in memory of her dad, John Humphrys, who received Pilgrims care in 2022.
John was a family man, doting on Dawn and her sister, Claire, and his six grandchildren. He spent 35 years working as a Technical Administrator at Hornby Hobbies in Margate, and before that he was a disc jockey known as DJ Ferret. He was still working full-time at Hornby Hobbies when he was referred to Pilgrims, aged 71, for symptom control of his cancer.
Dawn said: “Although Dad was only in the hospice for a short time, the care was beautiful. We also said a big thank you to Hornby Hobbies after he passed, as they were so supportive as an employer.”
John with his colleagues at Hornby Hobbies, his daughters Dawn and Claire, and his grandchildren Charlie, Lacey and Lillie
The Wooden Box Café was established in Ramsgate but went up for sale, and Dawn began running it in February 2024: “I’d always wanted to have my own cafe, so when I found out I had some inheritance money, I started looking. A good friend told me about The Wooden Box; I’d not heard of it before, even though Dad had only lived round the corner! I thought, “Well, I’ve got this opportunity because my dad’s in a wooden box.” so I took it; I didn’t find this cafe, it very much came to me.”
Dawn hosts a drop-in bereavement support group on Thursday mornings, offering a safe and compassionate space for members of the local community to come together and support each other following bereavement. Everyone is welcome.
“People just sit, have a coffee and a chat, and help each other. One lady who came in asked me what my yellow rose tattoo means and I said it represents strength for everyone fighting cancer, and also my dad’s resilience. It also features in the signage on the outside of the cafe. She then told me that she’d recently moved to the area with her family and her mum had died the day before. She showed me her mum’s knitted heart from Pilgrims – during the pandemic, Pilgrims gave matching knitted hearts to patients and their families, as a way to remain connected despite social distancing restrictions. I showed her my knitted heart, too, as I carry it with me everywhere. Her dad came in shortly afterwards, and we were able to signpost them to local services to help with things like funeral planning.”
Regular customer, Rita, makes crochet trinkets that are sold to raise money for Pilgrims. Dawn added: “Rita’s daughter received Pilgrims care, so it’s her way of giving back and it’s the reason our Pilgrims collection pots fill up so quickly.”
John
Dawn also displays local artwork, which is available to purchase, and has a small library where customers can borrow books, both in return for a suggested donation to the charity – the bookshelf was even sourced from Pilgrims Tivoli Brooks furniture warehouse. In addition, she plans to hold a weekly book club.
In September 2024, Dawn hosted an open mic event to raise money for Pilgrims, and hopes to put on another in the near future. She is planning much more, too, including a Christmas-themed doggie photo competition, which people can pay £1 to enter to be in with the chance of winning a hamper.
Dawn also attends annual remembrance events at the Thanet hospice: “Trees of Love is the best event of the whole year, and we have a leaf on the Memory Tree for Dad.
“When my dad died, I thought no one would want to listen to me talk about my grief, so I just went straight back to work. I don’t want other people to feel like that – I want to offer this space to others so they know they’re not alone, and support Pilgrims in any way I can.”
The Wooden Box Café is located at 91 High Street, Ramsgate CT11 9RH.
National Grief Awareness Week takes place 2-8 December 2024. It raises awareness of the impact of grief and loss on a national platform. To find out more, visit thegoodgrieftrust.org/ngaw.
Pilgrims Hospices is a charity dedicated to providing expert care and support to patients with life-limiting illnesses in east Kent. Our services ensure comfort, dignity, and quality of life for patients and their families, offering compassionate care both in hospice settings and in the community.
