CURATING GRIEF SHOW

Charlene is a certified grief coach, speaker and the founder of The Grief Gallery.

She is passionate about using the lens of curating to help grieving people navigate the aftermath of loss and when they feel ready, to transform their pain into something beautiful.

After her mother died suddenly in 2013, Charlene found herself drowning in grief … and her mom’s belongings. It’s a common problem: Feeling overwhelmed and unable to make choices after the death of a loved one. Charlene’s uncommon solution: Curating an exhibition about her mother.

She developed the Curating Grief™ framework to help others process grief in a creative, accessible way. (And no, you don’t need to be an artist or creative to curate!)

As a grief coach, she helps grieving individuals to feel lighter and better equipped to move forward with their own fullest lives. She is a triple-certified grief coach, including programs by leading grief experts and clinicians Claire Bidwell Smith and Megan Devine, and ongoing training through What’s Your Grief and the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition.

As curator of The Grief Gallery™, Charlene presents international exhibitions featuring the belongings of loved ones lost, with installations at events including the London Design Festival and End Well in Los Angeles.

As a speaker, she delivers talks and workshops on the power of creativity and storytelling for healthy grieving, sharing her Curating Grief approach with thousands of grievers and wellness professionals.

She stars in the short film Curating Grief: Loss and Objects, directed by UK filmmaker Jamie Max Lee.

Her personal artwork has been showcased at the Brooklyn Museum (NY), Bildmuseet (Sweden), and the Museum of Craft and Folk Art (San Francisco). Her Curating Grief work has been featured by platforms like The Dinner Party, What’s Your Grief, Reimagine, and the Good Grief Festival, with media mentions in Azure, Dezeen, British Vogue, and Architectural Digest. 

A proud Chinese-American New Yorker, Charlene is based in Lisbon, Portugal. She works with clients worldwide (and really wants you to ask her about the soy sauce in her mother’s kitchen.) 

Curating Grief: A Creative Guide to Choosing What to Keep After a Loved One Dies (Winter 2024) is her first book. Learn more at www.curatinggrief.com and follow her on instagram @Curating_Grief

Curating Grief® A creative and compassionate approach to engaging with loss.

Part of the Curating Grief® ecosystem. Visit The Grief Gallery® for community and creative witnessing. Visit CharleneLam.com for expert grief support.