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To Bind Anew: Creative tools for grief, memory, and mending

January 11, 2026 @ 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm EST

In this workshop, participants will gently explore memories through creative practices as a way to navigate grief and loss with the guidance of Sarah Blesener and Jenny Stratton, both artists and educators. To bind anew: this is an act of love.

Limited spots available. Registration with a $10 refundable deposit is required to hold your place. Donations recommended on a sliding scale of $0 – 30; no one will be turned away for lack of funds.*

*Deposit refunds/cancellations: If you are unable to attend and notify us at least 48 hours before the event begins, we will offer your spot to someone on the waiting list and refund your deposit. Notify irons@mediasanctuary to cancel. If you attend the event, we will offer your $10 deposit back in cash on the day of the event. If the workshop is cancelled, we will refund your deposit or offer you the opportunity to attend a rescheduled event.

This workshop is for anyone navigating grief and loss—whether personally, or as a caregiver or services provider supporting others. Together, we’ll gently explore personal and shared memories through creative practices such as storytelling, collage, poetry, and working with meaningful objects: photographs, heirlooms, flowers, and more.

As we step into the new year, we’ll co-create a space to reflect, mourn, and honor what we carry. Participants will be invited to contribute to a collective archive of our experience, holding both what has been lost and what still remains.

a photo from over a person's shoulder who is using scissors to cut out an image

Note to participants: Please come prepared with around 3 to 6 printed image reproductions of archival photographs or images meaningful to you to work with. All colors, shapes, and sizes are welcome. These may include images of loved ones you are grieving, family albums, vacation photos, or visuals from communal archives or media. Please do not bring originals.

We recommend printing your photographs at a nearby drugstore such as Walgreens, CVS, etc-orders can be placed online or instore. (prints are typically under 1.00 each for a 4×6)

We also encourage you to bring additional archival materials such as letters, journals, notes, memorabilia, or scraps—anything that holds meaning for you. Provided materials include paint, tape, scissors, pens, and extra paper. Feel free to bring your own art supplies if you prefer to use them.

a photograph of a family in a big hug. over the image is purple flowers laid on the faces

Sarah Blesener

Sarah Blesener is an educator, socially engaged artist, and visual researcher interested in the complexity of human relationships and their visual representations.

Jenny Stratton

Jenny Stratton is an interdisciplinary artist, visual researcher and educator. She engages with photography, art, and storytelling as emergent processes for co-creation, restorative narratives, and acts of care. Jenny’s creative work and research are rooted in relationships—with ourselves and each other, with inner/outer landscapes and ecologies. She is also a full-spectrum doula care provider.