Letters to Forever Exhibition
Date: 6th - 28th August 2025
Location: St Peter’s Church, St Albans, Hertfordshire
Schedule of events:
7th August - Exhibition launch
13th August - Artist Talk
16th - 26th August – five community workshops exploring loss and healing (dates on the website)
28th August: Film Screening and Performance.
Exhibition opening times: Mon - Sat 10AM - 5PM Sunday - Closed St Peter's Church, St Peter’s Street, St Albans, AL1 3HG
For interviews contact: 07369267164 www.nataliamillmanart.com info@nataliamillmanart.com @nataliamillmanart
Supported using public funding from Arts Council England Hertfordshire-based Ukrainian-born artist Natalia Millman, fills St Peter’s Church in central St Albans with an exhibition of remarkable artworks this Summer.
With generous funding awarded by Arts Council England, this project establishes Natalia as a leading artist working in Hertfordshire. The recently refurbished church hosts an exhibition of over 200 drawings, sculptures, performances, sound recordings and videos, exploring the topical themes of grief and loss. Alongside this powerful exhibition, Natalia welcomes local people to participate in several workshops exploring their own experiences of grief through creativity: using clay, mindfulness, movement and drawing.
Natalia’s project is accessible to everyone and inclusive for the Ukrainian community in St. Albans and those with dementia, and their carers. The artist lost her father to dementia five years ago and developed these artworks as part of her grief journey. At the exhibition’s heart, stands a large structure displaying nearly 200 grief letters that Natalia invited people to write to her, expressing each person’s unique experience of loss. In response to each letter, the artist has created a beautiful drawing to capture the essence of the letter’s content. Elsewhere in the exhibition, visitors encounter a meditation on loss, a sound bath, a piece of music, small sculptures, textiles and a specially commissioned scent – creating a truly immersive experience.
Beyond the building, the installation seeps into the grounds: an intimate ring of pre-loved chairs awaits, and a series of engraved plaques lie amongst existing gravestones. One of the oldest churches in England, St Peter’s acts as a container for the artist’s personal grief journey and the collective loss experienced by others, regardless of spiritual belief. Natalia’s generous project invites others to share their own stories, offering a space for reflection, community, solace and ultimately healing.
The artist: “Letters to Forever’ is a deeply personal journey, born from my own grief following the loss of my father to dementia, shaped by the grief of others. I believe in the power of art to connect and heal, to turn pain into something that breathes empathy, supporting a model of continuing bonds.’”
Hazel Edwards, South-East Area Director, Arts Council England: “Letters to Forever’ is a remarkable project that demonstrates the power of art to address grief and loss in a way that is both deeply personal and profoundly touching. We are proud to support a project that builds community and invites audiences to explore vulnerability and empathy around a universal human experience.”
Letters to Forever is developed and led by Natalia Millman, in partnership with Cruse Bereavement, Memory Support Hertfordshire, with public funding from Arts Council England.