Grief Event: Museum of Natural History, Lisbon
Art and Science meet at a free public grief event in Portugal
In the Lisbon area? I’m bringing The Grief Gallery to the National Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Lisbon on Sunday 31 August, 2025, at the invitation of artist Marco Fedele di Catrano.
Guided Tour & Conversation: The Grief Gallery with Charlene Lam
O Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência (MUHNAC) da Universidade de Lisboa
Rua da Escola Politécnica 56, Lisbon
Sun 31 Aug, 11am-12:30pm
Free Admission
Meeting Point: Entry Foyer
As part of Empty Spaces Between Ladders, Marco Fedele di Catrano’s exhibition at the Museum of Natural History and Science in Lisbon, artist and curator Charlene Lam will lead a guided tour through the exhibition and the museum’s spaces, sharing the inspiration behind her creative project The Grief Gallery.
The museum, a place of conservation, holds within it a profound tension: life and death are intertwined across its collections of creatures, plants, minerals, specimens, and evolutionary histories. Objects and bodies are preserved for study, their processes of change interrupted—time stopped by formalin, taxidermy, or other human intervention.
What do we leave behind?
Bodies and belongings.
Memories and mementos.
Together, we will reflect on questions of life, death, and our human impulse to preserve:
- In what ways does loss shift our perceptions of objects, time, space, and life itself?
- How do we choose which stories and objects get the spotlight?
- What roles might private and public spaces play as repositories for memory and memorials?
Participants are invited to bring a meaningful object—something from their own life or belonging to a loved one—to share with the group in this collective exploration of remembrance.
Questions? Hello@CharleneLam.com
August 2025
hello
I'm Charlene
I help grieving people feeling burdened by responsibilities, resentments and regrets after the death of a loved one to feel lighter –– so you can live your own fullest life.
After the sudden death of my mother Marilyn in 2013, I put my life, work and grief on hold as I struggled to deal with the estate, paperwork and belongings.
Healing took time -- and it took help.
I'm a certified grief coach, and I developed my Curating Grief framework to help people process grief in a creative, accessible way. Learn how to move forward, without leaving your connection to your loved one behind.
Get In Touch
- hello@charlenelam.com
Monthly Grief Gathering
Free, on Zoom, the last Wednesday of every month.
THE BOOK
Check out my book Curating Grief: A Creative Guide to Choosing What to Keep After a Loved One Dies
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I offer grief coaching for individuals and groups. Want to learn more about grief coaching?
SPEAKING
Book me to be a grief speaker for your community or event.
