Our adult oriented presentation is about New England cemetery art, history and symbolism in a 90 minute Powerpoint format. The ‘virtual tour’, called “Welcome to The Graveyard”, takes us from colonial burial grounds, through the rural cemetery movement of the 19th century and into 21st century locations. It examines why we have cemeteries and gravestones, why they look like they do and how styles and art have evolved over almost 400 years. Prior to a committed program date, The Girls will hit the road and go through the Holbrook’s cemeteries, taking pictures for use in the presentation and using as much local content as possible for a customized experience.
We bring along informational handouts for takeaway plus examples of our gravestone artwork so the audience can have a hands-on experience, plus purchasing opportunities. Q&A is welcome at the end of the show! Our Gravestone Girl Brenda Sullivan is always the presenter of our programs, and if schedules allow, other Gravestone Girls will join us too!
The aim of the program is to connect with the audience and teach them what’s in the backyards and main streets of their towns. We hope to inspire them to go out and explore on their own; which might lead to graveyard clean ups, documentation projects and other fun and educational cemetery experiences!
