Hello! I’m Kaitlyn, a queer Jewish grief worker and visual artist based in Los Angeles. My practice is rooted in the intersection of grief, death, and art, creating meaningful spaces and ritual for those navigating life’s most profound transitions.

(a)Wake is my ritual container at that intersection: a space to gather, remember, and transform. This space was born from years of grief, ritual, and community care, and holds the full spectrum of my work.

My background is in live performance design, with a BA in Architecture and an MFA in Design for Live Entertainment from UCLA. My artwork has been seen across the country as well as internationally, from the Metropolitan Opera to a parking garage in Detroit. Through this practice of spatial storytelling, I’ve come to understand how space can hold what words cannot. It’s this embodied sense of design and atmosphere that allows me to create rituals that are deeply 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. During my time there, I developed and facilitated programming that explored grief, mortality, and ritual in both accessible and imaginative ways. I curated dozens of events featuring local queer artists, healers, and community leaders, including a public funeral for payphones.

I received my Death Doula certification from Jill Schock at Death Doula LA and completed the Deeper Deathwork intensive with DeathWives, focusing on end-of-life care and grief studies. I’ve studied grief-informed herbalism with Mara June of Motherwort + Rose and The Herbal Academy, and trained with Allison Bagg to deepen my relationship with sound as a healing modality.

At the heart of (a)Wake is the Living Funeral Ceremony, a communal ritual that invites participants to die before they die, to let go of what no longer serves, and to cross the threshold into new life. Each ceremony is crafted with intention and care: attuned to the seasons, astrological timing and the Earth. Some take place in intimate community settings; others unfold as immersive, evening-long experiences that extend the ritual into deeper reflection and connection.

What remains constant is the invitation: to meet yourself at the edge and step through.

I trained directly with Emily Cross of Steady Waves Center who originally created this ceremony inspired by living funerals first conducted in South Korea in an effort to prevent suicides by helping people to see the value of their lives.

My artistic work often intersects with my ceremonial practice. A recent 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.

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.