“My best friend Sylvan did a drawing of a boat. When he gave it to me, he asked if I would make a carved boat for his ashes when he passed. He died a month later from AIDS-related complications.”
Steve Jensen, longtime Lifelong supporter, has been a working artist for more than 30 years. He comes from a long line of Norwegian fisherman and boat builders, growing up on his father’s fishing boat. His heritage and journey through loss and mourning has been a guiding light for his work, “Böts.”
“I carved that first boat as close to Sylvan's drawings as possible. My mother came to Sylvan's funeral and she was so moved by the boat, she wanted one for my father's remains when the time came,” said Steve. “When my father passed, we put his ashes in a similar vessel and since he was a Norwegian fisherman, we floated the boat out at sea, like a Viking funeral.”
Since that time, Steve has created several funeral boats through carvings and painting for friends, family, and pets as part of his series, “Voyager.”
“Art school never prepared me to work with human or animal ashes, but I feel honored to have this opportunity,” said Steve. “When I work with them, I feel transformed to another place or time where an artist was asked to be both craftsman and mortician.”
Steve and his partner Vincent Lipe are donating Steve’s piece, “Journey of the Red Ribbon” to Lifelong’s World AIDS Day Silent Auction, which begins on World AIDS Day, December 1.
“As humans, death is the one thing we have in common, and the boat in many cultures symbolizes a passage or voyage, perhaps to the other side,” said Steve. “The piece is in honor of the 40 years that we’ve been affected as a community by HIV and the resilience we share.”
Art piece, “Journey of the Red Ribbon” donated by Steve Jensen and his partner Vincent Lipe for our World AIDS Day Silent Auction on Dec. 1
SUPPORT VITAL SERVICES FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV IN WASHINGTON ON WORLD AIDS DAY, DEC. 1
Lifelong’s online World AIDS Day Silent Auction, taking place December 1-7, will honor the 40-year fight against AIDS in America. Join us to support our life-saving services that we’ve provided since the early days of the AIDS crisis that are just as crucial today, including food, housing, and access to medical care for people living with serious illnesses like HIV, kidney disease, and cancer.
RSVP today for your chance to own a piece of artistic history. Donations are also being collected to support our vital services for people living with HIV and other serious illnesses.