Dead of Winter reemerges, not as ‘better,’ but as deeper, stranger, and more alive.
This program is now open and ready for you, makers, artists, crafters, and creative thinkers!
A stillness this way comes, perhaps even a freeze. We go inside, early sunsets, art tables set, knitting needles warming by the fire, kettle on. There’s chocolate somewhere. Things squirm in the deeper soil, and a snowy owl camouflages with shades of whites as we cut paper into shapes, stretch linen in elliptical frames, and brush a rainbow of pencil shavings into our hands. We hold our art to keep warm. We are fully present with our art process in the quiet season, as towers and snow fall just outside our windows.
30 spaces available
Early Bird Offer good until October 17th!
*use code DOW50 when registering to get $50 off
What happens when we sit with other artists through the winter and nerd out on death art themes? Let’s find out!
What is Dead of Winter?
a biweekly meeting space through the winter for artists who are drawn to themes of death and mysticism
composed of two sessions per month: Fireside and In Studio - each have their own objectives
Dead of Winter is different than online skill building or healing focused spaces
It is a respite from ‘achieving something’
a place of inspiration for artists, designed by death work artists
a mingling space for makers to get down with other makers and get feedback and support
a special treat for artists, makers, crafters who love death themes in art
a perfect Winter Solstice gift for the artist you love!
Join Narinder and Meghan Johnson for an immersive 4-month journey through winter as we continue to weave death-themes through art, story, and shared practice. This season, we will be looking closely at works created by artists who channel the sacred feminine, offering visions steeped in mysticism, devotion, and transformation. Together we’ll explore these themes through art history conversations, shared making space, and the camaraderie of creating side by side.
2x/month | 1st and 3rd Thursdays@7PM ET | live virtual gatherings
a dedicated space for your creative & cozy self
Finally, a space for artists (who love a death-themed art chat) to simply gather together.
In Studio is a warm space to talk about your art or listen to other makers talk about theirs. A meeting space that is a grab bag of inspiration and good company. Dead of Winter In Studio is tea time…bring your mug, bring your quirks, bring the odd things you’ve been making. Each time we gather, we’ll also share the pieces sparked by our Fireside art prompts.
Think of it as a cozy show-and-tell for grown-ups who happen to be enchanted by mortality, mystery, and a whole lot of love.
Dead of Winter In Studio
Wintertime is a wonderful season to become even more present with our art practice. We may feel slowed down and less hustled to complete projects because the coldness draws us inward. It’s almost as if the quietness of winter gives us a chance to really lean in and listen to what our art wants to say.
Dead of Winter keeps us inspired. And if you’re cold and don’t feel like painting, Dead of Winter is a place that embraces process in all its forms. If your canvas has been staring back at you for three months, we’ll just nod knowingly, no judgment here.
Be Present with Your Practice
Dead of Winter Fireside
What happens when death work artists lead a space for makers? They lead with the death arts! Narinder and Meghan will share works from art history and discuss how they inform the death arts at each Fireside chat. We will weave the death related topics with stories of artists across time who displayed radical talent with the mystical arts in their works.
Dead of Winter Fireside is inspiration station!
Each Fireside will conclude with an art prompt inspired by the featured artist’s creative process. This prompt will serve as a guide for your own practice over the coming month, until we gather again at the next Fireside.
What’s included in this program?
Bi-weekly Sessions: Fireside and In Studio
Every 1st and 3rd Thursday, from 7 PM to 9 PM ET, gather for an intimate exploration of art, death, and life’s many facets.
Fireside: 1st Thursdays
Each Fireside will open with a guided imaginative adventure with Narinder; an easy, playful way to stretch your imagination and see what wants to surface.
Then Meghan and Narinder will share works from art history and explore how these artists were, in their own ways, practicing death work through their art. The discussion may turn toward mysticism within artistic practices and how these themes intersect with the culture work.
Together, we’ll trace these threads in art history and sketch out how they might resonate with our own work or spark new creative practices.Each Fireside will conclude with an art prompt inspired by the featured artist’s creative process. This prompt will serve as a guide for your own practice over the coming month, until we gather again at the next Fireside.
In Studio: 3rd Thursdays
The second session of the month is called In Studio. It is a hands-on, collaborative virtual studio meetup. It’s all about you and your process. It’s a draw-while-we-chat vibe. Bring the piece that you are working on from the Fireside prompt! This is a space to share your thoughts and processes in a relaxed, community-centered environment.
During In Studio, we create space for genuine conversation, where your voice is heard, and your creativity thrives. We’re here to listen, to share, to inspire each other in ways we can’t even predict.
Dead of Winter starts November 6th
Registration closes on November 5th
30 spaces available!
Register here by Oct 17th for $50 off
*use code DOW50 at checkout
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2x/month meetings
Learn some art-history with death artists
Consistent community space through winter
A ton of inspiration!
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Fireside: 1st Thursday of the Month - 2hrs learning about and discussing death & art
In Studio: 3rd Thursday of the Month - 75mins for community sharing & art making
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If there’s one thing we’ve seen time & again - it’s that community amplifies magic and impact. So let’s gather regularly to share about our creative processes and possibly form relationships with other artists for collaborative art making reasons!
About the facilitators
Narinder Bazen (she/her) is a Death Arts teacher and spiritual guide whose work and creative passions are deeply intertwined. Above all else, Narinder is an artist deeply devoted to exploring the mysteries of a world that is both beautiful and devastating.
Dead of Winter is an offering to this complexity, the holding of both the beauty of art and the magnitude of death. Rooted in her experiences as a death midwife and artist, Dead of Winter provides a unique, biweekly space for artists drawn to death themes.
Meghan Allynn Johnson (she/her) is an artist and death worker specializing in connecting community members to death and grief resources and sharing in the tenderness of life's endings through creative workshops and artworks that she calls 'living portals.'
She is the co-founder of the Madison Death Studio, an online resource for grievers, the dying, and the dead, and her artwork has been exhibited in New York, NY; Johannesburg, South Africa; St. Louis, MO; Chicago, IL;
and Madison, WI.
She completed the Nine Keys Death Midwifery Apprenticeship with Narinder in 2024, and has a BFA in Studio Art from UW-Madison, and an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis Sam Fox School of Art. She has published work with the David Krut Print Workshop in Johannesburg, and her artwork is included in the text, Singular/Serial: Contemporary Monotype and Monoprint (Kernan, Oresman, Einstein). Meghan is based in Madison, WI.
Follow Meghan and the Madison Death Studio on Instagram here:
Upcoming Meeting Dates
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NOVEMBER
11/6 @ 7-9PM ET
11/20 @ 7-9PM ET
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DECEMBER
12/4 @ 7-9PM ET
12/18 @ 7-9PM ET
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JANUARY
1/01 @ 7-9PM ET
1/15 @ 7-9PM ET
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FEBRUARY
2/5 @ 7-9PM ET
2/19 @ 7-9PM ET
Dead of Winter is the artist’s favorite introvert friendly, death-art themed, den of inspiration.
Tis the season to be cozy with our crafting.
FAQs
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Dead of Winter meets 2x/month on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of November, December, January, and February!
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This 4 month program is an investment of $500.
If you register before October 17th, you get 50$ off!
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Due to the nature of our work and Narinder's petite business, there will be no cancellations and no refunds for past sessions/payments.
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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 upon the first session on November 5th.
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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.