“Sitting With Grief”

“In the Cath Lab”

“Great Eastern Brood”

Ravenna Raven
Sitting With Grief, In the Cath Lab, and Great Eastern Brood, 2025
Type on Genesis birch paper
8.25 x 5.5 inches (21 x 14 cm) Each – Framed

July 2025, Curated by Geheim Gallery in partnership with Lion and Lamb Fine Art.

For the Soul brings together 20 distinguished local and national artists in a group exhibition in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. Curated by Geheim Gallery in partnership with Lion and Lamb Fine Art, the show asks a vital question and seeks to spark dialogue around: What does the soul of your work look like?

This exhibition invites artists to look deeply into the core of their own practice, examining what drives their creative process and what defines their work’s unique identity. For the Soul is a meditation on what makes each piece resonate at its very essence, whether through material, form, gesture, or concept. It explores how artists distill their vision into something singular, capturing the qualities that make their work distinct and compelling.

By setting a simple but deliberate size limit, no work exceeds 30 x 30 inches the show fosters an intimate environment that encourages viewers to engage closely with each piece. This scale invites a slower, more contemplative kind of looking, focusing on the nuances and details that reveal the true heart of the work.

More than a collection of individual expressions, For the Soul builds a dynamic dialogue among artists who explore identity, intention, and artistic language in vastly different ways. The exhibition offers space for reflection, connection, and conversation reminding us that the essence of art often lies in subtlety, precision, and emotional depth rather than spectacle.

Participating Artists

Jessica Brilli, Cynthia Camlin, John Clement, Micah Ofstedahl, Benjamin Ewing, Gage Hamilton, Andrea Heimer, Sheila Klein, Peter Le Floch, Kayla Mahaffey, Elly Minagawa, Nancy Mintz, Dan Monteavaro, Mark Russell Jones, Ravenna Raven, Joe Rudko, Seth Sexton, Anthony White, Yale Wolf, and Brandon Vosika.

Ravenna’s Artist Statement:

As a Listener Poet for healthcare communities through The Good Listening Project, I’ve been able to be with people in the throes of, and long after, some of the most defining experiences of their lives as they navigate the complexities of medical care for themselves or their loved ones. “Sitting With Grief” and “In the Cath Lab” are poems from this project, based on conversations I had with each person, and gifted to them. This practice of deep listening and compassionate presence places me in direct connection with the soul whenever I sit to talk with people to compose a poem for them inspired by their stories of grief, loss, hope, and healing.

Early childhood experiences with first responders, surgeons, nurses, and hospice care propelled me towards writing as a practice for healing and making meaningful connections with others. “Great Eastern Brood” was one of the first poems I wrote about my family’s grief after my father, a much beloved Emergency Medical Technician in our rural community, passed from pancreatic cancer. Witnessing my mother’s unending care for him, and for myself and my brother, during that time shaped my perspective about the resilience of the human spirit, and the sacred gift of accompanying someone through their end of life experience.