My COVID-19 Journey, Grief

On November 24th 2020 we lost my father, Izack Alkalay to the Corona virus. He died at age 102, just a few weeks before the COVID-19 vaccine was announced on December 11, 2020. I was not even able to attend his funeral or join my family in Israel to sit Shiva due to the travel quarantine rules in Israel.

It took me time to process my grief and during that winter, after the shutdown was officially over and people were starting to get the vaccine, the safest place to gather with friends was outdoors. We started to go with our friends and our dogs on nature walks in the area. These hikes are one of the main sources of the photos in this exhibit, when I’m surrounded by the beautiful four seasons of New England.

It is not a completely apt comparison, but during this period I also experienced a different grief process because of the closing of Pine Manor College, my workplace and second home for the past ten years. Like other small colleges, Pine Manor did not survive the pandemic economy. This exhibition is my way of saying goodbye to my friends in the Pine Manor community. Thank you all for the wonderful memories and knowledge I gained in the last 10 years. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the Kellogg family for the Kellogg Award I received this year, which helped fund this exhibition.