Unconventional Urns That Go Beyond Solemnity

As cremation has become more common than burial in the United States, partially due to the costs associated and partially due to the marketing of cremation as an environmentally friendly alternative, it’s become increasingly common for families to store the ashes of loved ones at home.

While urns have customarily been seen as bland objects to be tucked away, there is now a market for pottery that meets form over function. Jennie Jieun Lee, a sculptor from New York noted that people might want to be surrounded by bright colors and shapes in their final resting place. “The urn is a conduit of memory for the person who keeps it in their home,” so she aims to make sculptures that are representative of a loved one.

Other designers have noted they hope that their creations might help in the grieving process. John Booth, a London-based fashion illustrator and designer, creates vibrant urns with exuberant brushstrokes and hopes to evoke feelings of joy and celebration, noting that he “doesn’t think art related to death needs to be heavy or morose.”

For more information see Isabel Ling “Unconventional Urns That Go Beyond Solemnity”, The New York Times, September 27, 2022.

Special thanks to Lewis Saret (Attorney, Washington, D.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.