Chelsea Flowers: Grief Etiquette

When my dad was alive, he never really saw any of my artwork.
He heard me give one lecture.
But I’m not really sure he knew I was an artist.
I wonder what he’d think now that the work is about him?
I wonder what he’d think if he knew I laughed when I found out he died?
I wonder what he’d think if he knew I laughed during his funeral?
I was told I had no etiquette for grieving.
Two years later and I’m still trying to figure it out.
In an exploration of this concept, ‘Grief Etiquette’ is an immersive installation about the non-linear stages of my grief, shown through archival imagery and sound.

Live performance by Flowers at 7:30pm on March 3.

About Chelsea Flowers
Based in Detroit, Chelsea A. Flowers is an artist who holds an MFA in sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and a BFA from Denison University in studio art, with a concentration in Black Studies. She has shown work and performed at various galleries including; ACRE Projects Space (Chicago, IL), Red Bull Arts (Detroit, MI), Roots and Culture (Chicago, IL), Vox Populi (Philadelphia, PA), The Sculpture Center (Cleveland, OH), Trout Museum of Art (Appleton, WI), The Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry (Chicago, IL), Torrance Museum (Torrance, CA), and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, (Detroit, MI).
She has expanded her skills and research by attending ACRE (Steuben, WI), Ox-Bow School of Arts and Artist Residency (Saugatuck, MI), Real Time and Space (Oakland, CA) residencies. And is an alum of Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Her practice explores subversion to popular culture, how “otherness” is created through social and cultural critique of her environment. She explores these ideas through grief etiquette, comedic tropes, and participatory performance.

Image: “Untitled II: Grief Etiquette”

Available to see by appointment: Wednesday-Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Closed Holidays