An annual Winter Gathering for Death Arts Practitioners, Artists, and Creative Wanderers
Dead of Winter
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.
No assignments. No pressure to produce. No hustle.
Just inspiration, conversation, and a warm community of fellow makers. Previous guests have said that this course really kept them inspired through the dead of winter.
November–February| Starting November 3
Every Other Tuesday | 7–9 PM ET
Registration opens mid-September 2026
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.
Part artist salon, part studio gathering, Dead of Winter offers a place to stay inspired through the darker months of the year. Together we explore artists from history and contemporary practice, share ideas, discuss creative process, and make space for whatever is emerging in our work.
This is not a skill-building course, critique 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 death-themed creative practice.
How it Works
Dead of Winter alternates between two kinds of gatherings:
Inspiration, conversation, and art history
During Fireside gatherings, Meghan introduces artists whose works explore themes of death, ecology, mysticism, transformation, grief, devotion, and the unseen.
Together we'll discuss their work, explore the cultural and spiritual questions it raises, and reflect on how these themes resonate within our own creative practices.
Each Fireside concludes with an optional creative prompt to accompany you until we meet again.
Fireside Sessions
In Studio Sessions
A cozy virtual studio gathering
Bring your tea, your sketchbook, your unfinished project, or simply your curiosity.
In Studio is a relaxed space to work alongside other artists, share what you're making, discuss creative challenges, and connect with fellow participants.
Some people come ready to show work. Others simply listen and make quietly.
Both approaches are welcome.
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
This Year’s Theme:
Ecology, Eco-Grief, and the Living World
Together we'll consider:
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 and ecological belonging
Death and transformation in the natural world
Mysticism, devotion, and the landscape
Seasonal rhythms and winter as creative practice
What the earth teaches us about endings and renewal
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 death, grief, ecology, and mystery
Enjoy learning about artists and creative process
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. Her work explores grief, remembrance, community death care, and creative practice as a way of engaging life's endings. 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 the artist's favorite introvert-friendly, death-art-themed den of inspiration!
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. Bring your unfinished projects, your strange fascinations, your questions about beauty and loss, and whatever is calling for your attention this season.
There are no assignments, deadlines, or expectations to produce. Just inspiration, conversation, and a place to stay connected to your creative practice through the winter months.
Registration
Early Bird Registration: $375
Available through 10/1
Regular Registration: $425
November–February | Starting November 3
Every Other Tuesday | 7–9 PM ET
Alternating Fireside and In Studio Gatherings
Registration opens mid-September 2026
FAQs
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November 3 - Fireside
November 17 - In Studio
December 1 - Fireside
December 15 - In Studio
December 29 - optional check in: winter blessings
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 9/1-10/1, 2026
Registration opens mid-September!
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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 3rd.
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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!