To Earth: A Natural Burial
Welcome to To Earth: A Natural Burial. This project is a contribution to Lua Project's 14th annual El Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) exhibit, in collaboration with McGuffey Art Center. Many, many hands have contributed to this project. And many facets of community death care are represented.​ To learn more about the vessels, the artisans who crafted them, the display itself, and natural burial in general, click the links below or scroll down.
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Natural Burial
Natural burial is a way of caring for the dead that is restorative to the earth. In natural burial, the deceased is buried in a plain wooden box or wicker casket that is fully biodegradable. Sometimes there is no casket at all and the deceased is laid to rest in only a cotton or linen shroud. The three or four foot grave is then covered with earth. There is no concrete vault, unlike in a traditional burial. The graves are typically marked with a simple stone. Natural burial may seem like a new, even radical, idea. But in fact, the practice is likely as old as humankind. The display you see here is one way a natural burial might look. It intends to be intimate and raw and leave room for self-expression. For more information on natural burial we encourage you to explore our website in addition to those of the Conservation Burial Alliance and the Green Burial Council.​
​The Vessels
The natural burial vessels on display here were handmade by local artisans.​
The Willow Casket
The willow casket is the handiwork of Sarah Lasswell of Moss & Thistle Farm in Asheville, North Carolina. Sarah is a willow grower and casket maker. This year Sarah shared her craft with us at our third annual gathering of Death Fest: Gather, Grieve, Grow. Many hands contributed to the weaving of the lid of this casket at Death Fest under Sarah's guidance. In the coming months this casket will be donated to a family who chooses to bury their loved one at Panorama Natural Burial. Caskets and other wares are available for purchase and delivery through Moss & Thistle Farm.​
The Linen Shroud
The linen shroud you see inside the casket is the handiwork of Earthbound Shrouds of Twin Oaks Community. In anticipation of needs within their community and in the surrounding area, several community members set out to create a natural shroud option that would be easy to use, adaptable, simple, and beautiful. Thus Earthbound Shrouds was born. Earthbound Shrouds expects to have shrouds available to the public soon.
The Display
In natural burial, the burial vessel and plot are often embellished with organic decorations gathered from the location of the burial or brought from one's home. Here we sought to represent a typical natural burial that includes found objects from nature. You will also see two river stones, both typical of those used to mark graves at Panorama Natural Burial.​​​ The display is meant to convey the intimacy and rawness of death that is preserved in a natural burial. Care is taken to leave room for self-expression, elevating each family's unique voice. The display was curated by Megan Bloom in collaboration with Estela Knott and Lindsay Heider Diamond.
For More​
To learn more about natural burial and to explore local options, we encourage you to join us for a program or tour at the burial ground or subscribe to our newsletter. And we hope you'll come to Death Fest 2026!