Dead of Winter
An annual Winter Gathering for Death Arts Practitioners, Artists, and Creative Wanderers
A biweekly online gathering for artists drawn to death, grief, mysticism, and creative practice - with a focus this year on eco-grief.
From November through February, we gather every other Tuesday to explore inspiring artists, share our work, and stay connected to creativity through the quiet season.
A home for inspiration, conversation, and a warm and engaged community of fellow makers.
Previous guests have said that this course really kept them inspired and connected to their creative practice through the darkest winter months.
November–February| Starting November 3
Every Other Tuesday | 7–9 PM ET
Registration opens mid-September 2026
*early sign up discount by October 5th
Email meghan@narinderbazen.com with questions.
What is Dead of Winter?
Winter invites us inward.
Dead of Winter is a seasonal artist gathering created by death work artists for people who love making things and thinking deeply about life, death, grief, mystery, and the natural world.
This year’s theme is eco-grief and eco-appreciation, where we will practice developing a sensorial intimacy with the world in its impermanence.
Part artist salon, part studio gathering, Dead of Winter offers a place to stay inspired through the darker months of the year. Together, we’ll use the tools of art-making and art history to explore the ways artists have approached grief, our relationship to the land, and changing earthscapes across time. We’ll look closely at historical and contemporary artists, share ideas, experiment with creative practices, and make space for whatever is emerging in our own work.
This is not a skill-building course, critique group, grief group, or healing program.
Instead, it is an ongoing source of inspiration—a place to gather with others who understand the strange and beautiful pull of a death-themed creative practice.
How it Works
Dead of Winter alternates between two kinds of gatherings:
Fireside Sessions
Inspiration, conversation, and art history
During Fireside gatherings, Meghan introduces artists whose works explore themes of eco-grief, eco-appreciation, death, mysticism, transformation, devotion, and the unseen, with guest lectures from Narinder.
Together we'll discuss artists’ works, explore the cultural and spiritual questions raised, and reflect on how these themes resonate within our own creative practices.
Each Fireside concludes with an art assignment that will be shared in our In Studio sessions.
In Studio Sessions
A cozy virtual studio gathering and art sharing space
At the end of each Fireside session, you will be given an art assignment before our next In Studio session. We will then use In Studio time to talk about what you created.
Bring your tea, your sketchbook, your project, and your curiosity.
In Studio is a relaxed space beyond the art world ego to share with other artists, discuss creative challenges, and connect over the prompts and themes.
This Year’s Theme:
This season we'll be spending time with artists whose work explores our relationship with the land, the more-than-human world, cycles of decay and renewal, and the grief that emerges from environmental change.
Eco-Grief, Eco-Appreciation and the Living World
What it means to pause and look closely at contemporary art
The connections between eco-grief and appreciation
Developing sensorial intimacy with the natural world and its impermanence
Together we'll consider:
Mysticism, devotion, and the landscape
Seasonal rhythms and winter as a creative incubator
What the earth teaches us about endings and desire
What Past Participants Are Saying
Dead of Winter felt like a deep breath of crisp cold winter air. Refreshing, comforting,
clarifying, and expansive.
Gathering with such thoughtful people, slowing down, taking the time to really look at art, and spending time with other creative minds in a cozy, welcoming space was nourishing beyond belief.
It was a lovely way to spend the winter months and reconnect with my art practice. My brain felt stretched in ways it hadn't been in a long time. Dead of Winter offered the perfect balance of low pressure, creativity, intellect, spirituality, and community.
Highly recommend to anyone and everyone.
— Annaleee Burnstein
Who is this for?
Dead of Winter may be a good fit if you:
Make art, write, craft, or maintain a creative practice and desire art community through the winter
Feel drawn to themes of aliveness, grief, ecology, and mystery
Enjoy learning about artists and creative processes
Want community without pressure or productivity culture
Crave inspiration during the winter months
Love thoughtful conversations with fellow makers
You do not need to identify as a professional artist to participate.
Winter Art Swap (Optional)
At the end of the season, participants will have the opportunity to join an optional Art Swap.
Those who opt in will be randomly paired with another participant and exchange a small artwork, creative object, or handmade offering inspired by the season.
A simple way to celebrate what emerged during our winter together.
About the Facilitator
Meghan Allynn Johnson (she/her) is an artist, death worker, and co-founder of Madison Death STUDIO + bookshop. Her death work engages in culture shifting around how we experience grief, remembrance, and what it means to embody practices of community death care. Through workshops, gatherings, and collaborative projects, she creates spaces where creativity becomes a companion to mortality, loss, and belonging.
Meghan completed the Nine Keys Death Midwifery Apprenticeship with Narinder Bazen in 2024. She holds a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis. Her artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and she brings her experience as both an exhibiting artist and community organizer to Dead of Winter.
Featuring Guest Artist and Teacher Visits with Narinder Bazen
Narinder Bazen (she/her) is a Death Arts teacher, conceptual artist, and spiritual guide whose work and creative passions are deeply intertwined. Rooted in her experiences as a death midwife and artist, she creates spaces that explore the mysteries existing alongside grief, beauty, devotion, and loss.
She is the founder of the Nine Keys School of Death arts.
Throughout the season, Narinder will join select Fireside gatherings to share reflections on art and death, and conversations exploring the many ways artists engage with mystery, transformation, and the death arts.
Join Us for the Winter
Dead of Winter is an introvert-friendly, death-art-themed den of inspiration for the darker months of the year.
From November through February, we’ll gather every other Tuesday to explore art, death, ecology, mysticism, and creative practice alongside a community of fellow makers. This season, we’ll pay particular attention to eco-grief and eco-appreciation, using the tools of art-making and art history to deepen our relationship with the natural world and its impermanence.
Bring your curiosity, your strange fascinations, your questions about art, loss, and the changing world around us—and whatever is calling for your attention this winter.
Registration
Early Bird Registration: $375
Available through 10/5
Coupon code: DOW2627
Regular Registration: $425
November–February | Starting November 3
Every Other Tuesday | 7–9 PM ET
Registration opens mid-September 2026
Registration closes November 1st
FAQs
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November 3 - Fireside
November 17 - In Studio
December 1 - Fireside
December 15 - In Studio
January 12 - Fireside
January 26 - In Studio
February 9 - Fireside
February 23 - In Studio
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If you can't make it to all meetings, that is okay, though consistent participation is highly suggested.
There will not be any recordings for missed Dead of Winter events. Magic lives inside that present moment togetherness. -
Early bird pricing of $375 runs from 9/15-10/5, 2026
Tuition $425 after 10/5/2026
Coupon code DOW2627
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The nature of this particular group is meant to build & encourage consistency. Through consistency we develop intimacy and connection with others. Therefore registration will close November 1.
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Due to the nature of our work and the petite business model of Nine Keys, there will be no cancellations and no refunds for past sessions/payments.
Your tuition supports the arts!