Hello! I’m Kaitlyn, a queer Jewish grief worker and visual artist based in Los Angeles. (a)Wake is my practice born from years of grief witnessing, ritual work, and community care.

BACKGROUND & TRAINING

My background is in live performance design, with training in architecture and an MFA from UCLA. My work has been presented at large-scale institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera, as well as site-specific and experimental spaces. Through this practice I’ve learned how space can hold what words cannot, shaping rituals that are felt emotionally, spiritually, and somatically.

Previously, I served as Curator and Director of Programming at Studio DDLA, a death-centered art gallery and community space in Los Angeles. There, I developed and facilitated programming that explored grief & mortality and curated dozens of events featuring local artists, healers, and community leaders.

I received my Death Doula certification from Jill Schock at Death Doula LA and completed the Deeper Deathwork intensive with DeathWives, with a focus on end-of-life care and grief studies. I also have training in grief-informed herbalism and sound healing.

MY PRACTICE

At the heart of (a)Wake is the Living Funeral Ceremony, a communal ritual that invites participants to cross a threshold into new life. Each ceremony is crafted in relationship with season, place, and collective intention. I trained directly with Emily Cross of Steady Waves Center, who developed this ceremony drawing from living funerals first practiced in South Korea.

Alongside this work, I offer grief witnessing and serve as a funeral celebrant, creating ceremonies and gatherings that honor both the living and the dead.

RITUAL & ART

Artistic work and ceremonial practice often intersect in my process. A spell I wrote, inspired by the Jewish ritual of Tashlikh, is featured in Grieving as Shapeshifting: Spells for Coming Undone. I’m also a contributing artist in The Rebis Vol. 2: Chariot and have artwork featured in the Jewish Zine Archive’s Omnibus.

Writing on grief extends this practice, exploring how art and ritual can shape communal healing. Most recently, this work appeared in an article for TalkDeath titled “Embracing the Season of Dying.”

My current explorations involve alchemizing grief through the wisdom of the Jewish ancestral calendar, crafting ritual objects and visual materials inspired by each month’s teachings. This ongoing practice allows me to root my work in ancestral time, aligning personal and communal cycles of mourning, reflection, and renewal.