Rick’s Place Announces Community Art Exhibit for Children’s Grief Awareness Month

WILBRAHAM — Rick’s Place invites the community to join in honoring Children’s Grief Awareness Month through “Colors of Grief: Shades of Love and Loss,” an inspiring art exhibit featuring original works created by youth and adult participants of Rick’s Place.

The exhibit opens with a community reception on Monday, Nov. 3 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the William Blizard Art Gallery in Blake Hall at Springfield College and will remain on display throughout the month of November, daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This meaningful collection of artwork explores how grief, love, and memory shape our lives after loss. Each piece offers a personal reflection — an intimate expression of what it means to remember, to miss, and to move forward. The title, “Shades of Love and Loss,” reflects the many ways grief can be uniquely experienced, with each artwork revealing the individual journey and creative expression of its artist.

Guests are invited to a Meet the Artists gathering at 6 p.m. and encouraged to bring a small photograph of their loved one who has died to contribute to the exhibit’s Memory Wall installation.

Rick’s Place, a nonprofit organization based in Wilbraham, provides free peer grief support programs to children, teens, and families across Western Mass. and Northern Conn. With more than 5,000 children in Hampden County having experienced the death of a parent or sibling, Rick’s Place continues to be a compassionate space where families find understanding, connection, and hope.