One art, please!

November 4, 2021 8:26 PM

My partner and I recently bought a funeral home. Yay, and wow, and oh gods what did we get into, and all the other feelings. One feeling is at least more concrete: we need some art for our walls to replace the ones the old owners will be taking with them.

It's fun to have an actual budget for "art acquisition" but it's not very much, and I'm hoping to avoid the cheapest, blandest, cheesiest triptych of a macro-lensed orchid. What y'all's pet peeves about office art? Things you think are overdone, or so problematic you dislike seeing them at all? Things you love to see but rarely do?

What types of art do you think best expresses "welcome to a homey and respectful recognition of the circle of life"? Right now we've got lots of local scenery in various seasons and that's not bad but I'd like to be more interesting without... too interesting you know?

posted by traveler_ to Home & Garden (20 answers total)

I really love it when places feature local artists.
posted by bq at 9:06 PM on November 4, 2021 [15 favorites]

Where are you located? Try to partner with local artists and/or photographers to get calming, appropriate art that reflects your location.
posted by vrakatar at 9:08 PM on November 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

OK, it's time for you all to meet Jhenna Quinn Lewis.

There seems to be a gallery with her work in Jackson Hole WY, which might be near you.

She does seem to have a singular obsession with songbirds holding beads or keys in their beaks.

(Also - you deserve a prize for most interesting first question. Honorable mention, at least.)
posted by amtho at 9:30 PM on November 4, 2021 [15 favorites]

"welcome to a homey and respectful recognition of the circle of life"

As one who has had a lot of death in the family recently, I wouldn't want a place like a funeral home even asserting anything as simple as circle of life at me or landscapes by season. Nope. I could see how some might, just as I can see how some might like meditative too, but I wouldn't. When it comes to death, feelings and experiences can be so complicated. Everyone has a point of view, and many are asserting it onto you. So, for me, I'd simply seek something beautiful and peaceful, but not suggestive. I'd definitely go for paintings, which have a human touch to them — the marks of the brush — that photography and prints don't. I'd go largely for mid tones (not too bright, not too dark), maybe something even a bit abstract, suggestive of nature, a little bit poetic.
posted by Puppetry for Privacy at 10:13 PM on November 4, 2021 [18 favorites]

I have spent a LOT of time in hospitals looking at the art scattered around. There are a couple of local pieces that have hopeful or calm themes but they were kept in the lobby areas. Anything more thematic was not welcome because I'd spend time staring at it and thinking about it and being annoyed - I did not appreciate at all the mother+child art in the maternity ward because it felt like 'oh here is something out of reach'. The soothing abstract art was the best.

Get the interesting stuff for your office away from clients.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 11:34 PM on November 4, 2021 [9 favorites]

I would go with abstract art because then people can read whatever they want into it. I definitely wouldn’t go with circle of life analogies. It might seem like the natural order of things if the funerals are for elderly people but unfortunately you’ll probably get children at some point or other people who go way before their time and a picture that implied this was just the natural course of things, as a grieving family member, wow that would hit hard.
posted by Jubey at 12:08 AM on November 5, 2021 [7 favorites]

Abstract art all the way, personally. Photography is too concrete - people will have these images in some of their most difficult memories and it’s like, who wants a macro photo of a water drop on a leaf or whatever when you’re processing the memory of burying your mother? Even representational paintings have this problem. Abstract expressionism and lyrical abstraction are art movements that resulted in plenty of art I would appreciate seeing in a funeral home. Something with texture, movement, evocative of different lights and moods, but subject entirely to an individual’s interpretation.

I think seasonal landscapes would be okay in certain rooms, like if you have a more traditional feeling viewing room or a small sitting room without any good windows and the nature imagery might open it up a bit. But definitely not everywhere or as an overarching theme. I am a big fan of the circle of life and death and seasonality and all that but in the context of a funeral home I feel like the emotions you’re chaperoning there are way more immediate and visceral. Seasonality is much more at a remove, the circle of life a platitude that can be come to more organically by the grieving a few months later. In a similar vein, paintings of boats on bodies of water might strike you as neutral but relevant and strike a grieving partner as gut wrenching.

One thing I especially hate in corporate art in places where I’m stressed are images with words in them. Please avoid that entirely.

I agree that local artists would be pleasing if you could find some that match your intended vibe, and that paintings, mixed media, or at least prints on canvas are the way to go because of their human touch. I also love seeing wall hung fiber arts, like embroidery, tapestry, and quilts. Quilts in particular convey homey to me and memory quilts are an incredible kind of memorial art that might interest you, and you might find locals who you could commission something from to fit your area.
posted by Mizu at 1:48 AM on November 5, 2021 [6 favorites]

You might check out Exit Here Funeral Directors in London (Architectural Digest article). They have a very contemporary take on the design and furnishings they greet their families with. The artwork seems to be star charts and astrological symbols, as well as statement floral displays.

One lovely thing you could do is use photos of the people whose services you hold, and display them in a uniform way, like a gallery wall (images #1 & #10 here, or these) with actual quotes that maintain the uniqueness of those folks "Gran loved a good can of Spam" or "Tayo was the best Dungeon Master." Families would have to give their ok on this, but if I were coming to you with immediate need, that would be a nice stamp of approval on your services.

Me? I'd go with soothing earthy tones on the walls and splash out on amazing flowers. Maybe have some tactile pieces on tables that families could "worry" like these miniature bronze sculptures. These plaster casts of live flowers and herbs are also interesting.

Mizu's suggestion for quilts is a great one. Here are two Etsy shops with quilts that seem "interesting but not too interesting": geometric but human quilts, revamped classics (patterns only).
posted by cocoagirl at 5:42 AM on November 5, 2021 [2 favorites]

I couldn't tell you what was on the walls at the funeral home when we set up my mother's services, and that was as it should be. I'll nth that I know interesting is tempting, but bland and soothing is best. :) Put me in for florals and abstracts (the quilts would be different and nice!)
posted by joycehealy at 6:24 AM on November 5, 2021 [7 favorites]

The quilts are an interesting idea but a significant number of people are going to wonder if they’re just decorations or used for some sort of body-covering purpose. Are they on display because they have some ritual significance? Is this going to be taken down to cover up Aunt Ruth? I guarantee that the elderly members of my family would deem this “weird.”

I’d go with some nice abstracts.
posted by corey flood at 6:46 AM on November 5, 2021 [2 favorites]

Definitely look up local artists, maybe even approach one for a commission especially for your place if you like their work enough and you can afford it. If you want to do something small and charitable for your community, you could look for art that comes from programmes which work with homeless folks, prisoners, patients in hospital, etc, and feature them with a small explanation about the charity or work.

Agreeing with the above re: abstracts. There's a reason why lots of places like funeral homes and hospitals have "bland" art and it's usually because very few people want to be confronted by that extra emotional work of figuring out a painting while they're going through some of the most painful and difficult experiences of their lives. Art in these situations should be comforting and inoffensive, so that usually means abstract shapes in mid tones, landscapes, florals, local scenery, etc.

Personally I think looking for canvases which are mostly colours and shapes, which can be left to the viewer to interpret, may be a good idea. You could browse around Artfinder and see if anything speaks to you and either purchase some originals or prints directly from artists.
posted by fight or flight at 7:09 AM on November 5, 2021

Personally I detest the entire concept of a funeral home and won't be going there when my time comes, just so you know. But a fellow I met or heard about, can't recall, launched the idea of an un-funeral home — a funeral service that doesn't actually own a building, but produces funeral events wherever the friends and families would be most comfortable, which, if most people are honest about it, is not in an actual funeral home at all. Think parks, restaurants, concert venues, sports venues, clubs, museums etc. Just not physical funeral homes.

So in the light of that concept, which I like a lot, my advice is to make the art question only a starting point toward reinventing the entire concept of the funeral home. In the long run, think about getting rid of the dreadful receiving line, the rows of chairs, the mood lighting, the muzak and everything else, letting the question, "what would actually make people here most comfortable" be the governing yardstick of what you do.

Since you are starting with art, what kind of art would actually make people most comfortable? Don't think in terms of pictures on the wall, but embrace everything that constitutes art, as well as craft. And certainly go local, as suggested above. Bring in locally-created sculptures, pottery, basketry, furniture, glassware, fiber art, metal art, etc.

Don't worry about being "too interesting," in your words. "Not too interesting" is what you've got. It's bland and boring, good riddance. Start building a cool, interesting, diverse, mostly locally-created environment. People will be more comfortable if you surround them with things that can stimulate conversation. Make it a place people will remember and will actually want to return to. (Like every other business does.) Think like a gallery or museum. Once your collection is in place, consider having open houses where people can come look at your place without having to be part of a funeral. Have fun and make it fun!
posted by beagle at 7:11 AM on November 5, 2021

I grew up in Canada and my pediatrician had various prints by the Inuit art collectives of the North - Cape Dorset, Holman Island, Baker Lake. I think Cape Dorset might be the only one of those three still doing annual releases of work.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 10:05 AM on November 5, 2021 [1 favorite]

Another vote for abstract. Something quiet, like an Agnes Martin print. But I could also see photos of forests being peaceful, like pine forests, or something like this photo of Prospect Park.
posted by pinochiette at 11:06 AM on November 5, 2021 [1 favorite]

Something well-done, but calm and quiet. Something nice to look at, that isn't blandly generic. Something that will hold up to years of UV exposure. I've seen nice pictures in retirement homes - admittedly a different setting, but you get the idea - that were of ships, water scenes, sky, landscapes. And they all had a blue cast to them, because based on my own observation, cheaply done green tends to degrade quickly and vanish. The same applies to other colors, though usually less noticeably. (Actually, this is corroborated by Victoria Finlay's book Color, now that I think about it.) To me, art that has been on the walls so long it has shifted color, screams depressing. In a funeral home, that would make me think of death and entropy more, not less. (Admittedly specific, and not a consideration for most people, but there it is.) So, something to think about. So perhaps consider hiring a local artist willing to work with good, long-lasting (and safe) materials, to create original, abstract, tasteful-but-not-oatmeal-bland art, that will enliven the walls without being distracting. My two cents.
posted by Crystal Fox at 11:39 AM on November 5, 2021

This is hard, because there's "what is interesting" and there's "what are a bunch of different people, dealing with a terrible event, going to be affected by?"

I mean, if it helps, I have zero memory of the art of the walls of the funeral home when we buried my parents (same place, several years apart). I do remember that the furniture was vaguely uncomfortable; stodgy, traditional hardwood in crowded rooms-and the colors were dull, dated pastels. That was pretty depressing.

So I guess I'd recommend lots of comfy seating, some brighter/deeper colors in your decor, and pictures of nature (I like the bird paintings up top) because pictures of people seems off, somehow. At funerals you do nothing but look at faces, so I don't need art of still more people.

Honestly, interiors aside, any area where you could sit outside and breathe fresh air would be really nice (weather permitting). You've probably seen people cluster in the parking lot because they need to get out and breathe for a few minutes. Funeral homes are intense places.

Good luck with your new venture. And whatever you do, people will remember that you treated them well in a hard time a lot more than they will remember a piece of art.
posted by emjaybee at 12:46 PM on November 5, 2021 [2 favorites]

I am a professional funeral director and I own two funeral homes and I've thought about this a lot.

When we recently re-did all of the art in one of our locations, I had specific requirements:
• Nothing manmade in any of the pieces
• Nothing religious
• Trees trees trees
• Bland and inoffensive
• Made locally, if possible
• Cheap but not amateurish

We chose maybe ten paintings of trees, forests, and streams. We get compliments on them sometimes, but most of the time, no one notices them. Which is the point, for me. I have some art pieces that I'll put in my office when we build our crematory, but those are more personal and just for me.

Best of luck and feel free to reach out if you ever want to talk shop. I'm a family owner-operator, third generation. I have a hundred years of experience with all my co-workers combined.
posted by ColdChef at 3:12 PM on November 5, 2021 [16 favorites]

The funeral home that helped to facilitate my grandfather’s passing had so many thoughtful spaces/places for us to visit with others or take a break when we needed one. The best element of the space was a large, beautiful aquarium that created a divider between a bigger gathering area and a smaller room with comfy chairs. I remember holding my grandma’s hand while we sat quietly and watched the fish.
posted by WaspEnterprises at 3:35 PM on November 5, 2021 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks for all the different ideas and points of view everyone! There's a variety of perspectives here and I'm not sure what we'll end up doing but I'm glad to have the ideas to think over. I like going for local artists, and I appreaciate the concerns about figurative art being untintentionally distressing. I'd intended to add more details about our spaces, as we have a foyer that's dominated by floor-to-ceiling windows showing the nearby mountain range so nature takes care of the landscapes in that room. But there's a tight stair corner and a basement room with low ceiling, concrete floor, and glare-y lighting that will be a struggle to do something with.

I'd love to do more with our outdoor spaces but this time of year in Montana that window's closing fast and might be some time. But relatedly I am inspired to make sure we have corner spaces, unused conference rooms and the like that we can make sure are kept free as getaways when there's larger funerals or viewings in the building because I know personally that can all be a lot much and it's relieving to have an excuse to get away from the crowd of shirttail relatives sometimes.

People really do have a wide variety of expectations on how a memorial process will go, and we try to customize as much as we can to meet that expectation (our viewing rooms have no permanent art, for example, it's all modular reconfigurable display & partition stuff that we set up acconding to what the families want) but the real challenge is when that variety is spread out among the family, it's a compromise funeral and nobody is doing it the way they really want. Enabling some hideaways might be a good plan.

I will walk back the "circle of life" comment because I was just being sloppy with words and wouldn't want to overtly use symbolism of any particular perspective on death. At that moment people seem to much more need hugs than treatises on existential renewal. So yeah no memento mori still lifes.

P.S. thanks for the offer ColdChef, I've seen your name around here from time to time and now I'm wondering if I passed by you unknowingly at Nashville a few weeks ago. Were you at the conference?
posted by traveler_ at 8:58 PM on November 5, 2021 [2 favorites]

To a point above about set-piece memories: At a grandparent's funeral held near a lake in the cemetery, the funeral directors stood several feet away from the person giving the eulogy. But rather than stand to the side, they stood in the line of sight, directly opposite the mourners: Three hulking men in pitch black suits looking more than anything like a bunch of mobsters.

The moral of the story: Take all customer views into account.
posted by Violet Blue at 10:32 PM on November 5, 2021 [1 favorite]