After potter/Raku master Steven Branfman lost his 23-year-old son Jared to brain cancer, he found himself saying Kaddish through his art: crafting one chawan (Japanese tea bowl) a day for a year.

This sensitive film, directed by Jen Kaplan of Spencer Films, which follows Steven’s journey of grieving through art, will be followed by a guided audience-engaged conversation with Steven and local clergy.

Steven’s chawans will be on exhibit at the Maine Jewish Museum (3/9 – 4/28) and at The Parsonage Gallery, which will also host a Japanese tea service, courtesy of The Observatory in Belfast on the afternoon of the screening. We’ll make the film and recorded conversation available virtually later in the spring.