Transforming Loss Into Legacy: The Eternal Echoes Exhibition

Legacies are not created in a single moment, they are shaped gradually, through vision, care, and community. Port Angeles Fine Arts Center’s legacy has been unfolding for more than 75 years, beginning with the construction of Esther and Charles Webster’s home in 1951. 

What initially started as the private residence of the Websters has been transformed, over time, into a thriving local arts organization. Esther, after receiving a cancer diagnosis, formulated the idea for her home to be used as a space where art and community intertwine. Following her passing, her home was donated to the City of Port Angeles to serve as the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center. Her vision, built from the acceptance of her own death, established a legacy that persists today.

As the Eternal Echoes exhibition comes to a close on Sunday, March 29, it offers an opportunity not only to reflect on the exhibit’s themes, but also to consider how it connects to Port Angeles Fine Art Center’s lasting legacy. At its core, Eternal Echoes asked us to reconsider our relationship with death, not as something defined solely by fear, but as an inevitable and deeply human experience that invites reflection, understanding, and the possibility of transformation.

Through the thoughtful work of participating artists, cultural organizations, scientists, and authors including Anouk Kaiser, Megan Rosenbloom, Gina lavocelli, Caitlin McCormick, Rebecca Reeves, Rebecca Chaperon, Dr. Marianne Hamel, Nikki Johnston and Landis Blair, the exhibition created space for dialogue that extended beyond the gallery walls. The perspectives shared through art encouraged visitors to engage with death in new ways, transforming uncertainty into curiosity and loss into something more enduring.

The relationship between art, mortality, personal values, and enduring impact is evident in Esther Webster’s founding of the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, but it is just as powerfully reflected in the life of PAFAC’s late director, Jake Seniuk. After being diagnosed with cancer, Jake confronted the difficult reality of planning his own death. Deeply rooted in his connection to the natural world, he chose a green burial, aligning his final act with the principles that shaped his life. With the support of his family, Jake approached death with care and intention, creating a legacy that continues to echo beyond his passing. His story is a reminder that even at the end of life, our decisions can carry profound meaning and maintain our bond with the places we hold dear. Learn more about Jake’s perspective on his death here: https://grist.org/living/a-different-way-to-die-the-real-story-of-a-green-burial/.

While not everyone has the chance to plan their passing in such a deliberate way, death remains a universal experience, one that touches every life, whether through loss, illness, or simply time itself. For gallery curator, Lindsey Shepherd, the concept for the Eternal Echoes exhibition began with Megan Rosenbloom’s book Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin, which explores the intersections of death, history, and medicine. From there, research deepened and ideas expanded, eventually bringing together a diverse group of contributors whose work invited visitors to both learn and reflect on their relationship with death.

This spirit of reflection and curiosity extended beyond the gallery through The Living Experience lecture event. Featuring panelists Megan Rosenbloom, Dr. Marianne Hamel, Astrid Raffinpeyloz, Gina lavocelli, Nikki Johnson, and Carmen Watson-Charles, this event held at Field Arts & Events Hall offered a range of perspectives on death work, blending personal experience with research and professional insight. Together, these voices created a space where complex and often difficult topics could be explored with honesty and care.

While death can be one of the most painful experiences we face, it also holds the potential to shape how we live, remember, and create meaning. The artists and visitors who engaged with this exhibition remind us that when we allow space for reflection, grief can evolve into something lasting. It can become legacy.

As this chapter comes to a close, we are grateful to all who took part in the exhibition and its surrounding programs. Your presence and engagement are what continue to bring Port Angeles Fine Arts Center’s mission to life. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Esther Webster Gallery on April 10 for the opening reception of Field Notes—a visual love letter to the birds of the Pacific Northwest, inviting us to observe the natural world, and our place within it, with renewed attention and care.

Thank you Field Arts & Events Hall for the use of your space for The Living Experience, Port Book and News for providing access to the books included in this exhibition, all of our partners for supporting arts programming on the Olympic Peninsula, and a special thanks to our participating artists and panelists for opening the doors for death positive conversation through your work.