It has been said that living well is an art. For Keavy Bedell and Craig Davis, that art form doesn’t end in the so-called Golden years. The two Lakeville residents have created a new nonprofit organization called East Mountain House that will help make end-of-life kinder and gentler.
Bedell has been active in the community, providing access to all levels of assistance to people who are finding it hard to do the essential tasks and activities that bring meaning and joy to their lives. She is trained in contemplative care and is a certified end of life doula.
Davis is a contemplative care trained hospice volunteer who provided care for his late wife, Sandy Dennis, during her long struggle with cancer.
Both agree that there are many excellent organizations in this region that offer quality care at end of life; but they wanted to offer a special kind of care that includes warmth, kindness, and care of the spirit as well as the body.
East Mountain House will provide a residence and care for a small group of people, probably no more than three at any time, at a home in Lakeville. The home will also provide bereavement and caregiver support groups, as well as support and guidance with advance directives and living wills. To help raise funds and bring awareness to their mission, Keavy and Craig have teamed up with the extremely dynamic duo of Liz Macaire and Simon Kristoph for a weekend-long art sale at The White Hart Inn in Salisbury from June 14 to 16, with an opening party on Friday, June 14, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Macaire and Kristoph are partners in the new Macaire Kristoph Studio, which they describe as “specializing in interior design, staging, and event production as well as estate services.”
Their retail estate consignment store is part of the new Ivy’s Collective, at the intersection of Routes 4 and 7 in Sharon at the Cornwall Bridge border (right next to the modern bridge, not the West Cornwall Covered Bridge).
Both Macaire and Kristoph have degrees in art history and experience with merchandising and design.
They also seem to know everyone in three counties, including many of the talented artists who make this region their home. For the fundraising weekend, which they’ve dubbed the Arty Party, they’ve put together a collection of works by more than 20 area artists, with prices ranging from $40,000 for a large canvas by Sharon’s Tom Goldenberg, to small loose pieces that will sell for under $200 (the artists will receive 50% of sales of their work).
The sale at The White Hart begins on June 14 with a barbecue and live DJ on the Green in front of the inn, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Everyone is invited, donations are accepted but there is no entry fee. Space is limited, so anyone planning to attend is asked to send an RSVP to www.macairekristoph.com (where you can also preview and pre-purchase artwork).
The sale continues on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (and the work will remain on display throughout the weekend).
Learn more about East Mountain House during the weekend-long Arty Party; or go online to www.eastmountainhouse.org.
Meg Sher, executive director of the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village.L. Tomaino 
Samir LanGusProvided
