Proprietors’ Annual Meeting 2023
The Annual Meeting of the Proprietors of the Cemetery of Mount Auburn will be held virtually on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 10 AM. We welcome voting proprietors to join us for a summary of the most recent fiscal year and to vote on current ballot items.
Proprietors: Please register to attend this year’s meeting below. Those who cannot join us for the meeting but who wish to cast their vote by proxy may also do so below.
ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING
This year’s virtual meeting will be held online (via Zoom). To join us, please register using the button below. A link to the meeting will be sent after you register.
VOTE BY PROXY
Voting Proprietors may cast their vote by clicking the button below. Please note that voting is password protected. You will find the required password on your mailed notice of this year’s Annual Meeting.
If you are are connected to a lot at Mount Auburn Cemetery and believe you may be eligible to serve as its lot representative, please contact us at info@mountauburn.org.
2023 SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light
Created by MASARY Studios
Commissioned by Mount Auburn Cemetery
Join us as we welcome back SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light to Mount Auburn Cemetery in December 2023! The three outdoor light and sound artworks return with renewed approaches and integrations. A new feature this year is the interactive Hortus Gateway; four imprinted towers that will welcome visitors to enter the landscape through symmetrical illumination. We have also added an extended pathway on Central Ave which will give guests the opportunity to slow down, contemplate, and enjoy the night sky. Each piece may be perceived on its own or intertwined with one another to create a holistic experience. Connect to a landscape of exceptional beauty, consider an intention for the new year, or commemorate the memory of a loved one. Let the solstice light your way as you encounter the unique spirit of Mount Auburn.
This year’s event takes place December 9 – 21 and tickets will go on sale for the general public on October 2nd.
Join or renew your membership today! Members will get advanced access to ticketing and receive a 50% discount on all Adult General Admission tickets.
Event Dates & Times:
Dec 9-10 | Dec 12-13 | Dec 15-17 | Dec 19-21
Timed entries each night.
Ticket information:
Adult, FOMAC Members: $15
Adult: $30
Youth(ages 6-16): $5
Child (5 and under): Free
FOMAC Member tickets available starting September 18th
General admission tickets available starting October 2nd
Photos by Aram Boghosian
New natural nomenclature for Friends membership and donor recognition
The Friends of Mount Auburn includes three distinct giving circles.
The Perennial Circle recognizes our members who make annual fund contributions of $40-$999.
The Laurel Circle—formerly known as the 1831 Society—recognizes donors of $1,000 and up.
The Oak Circle recognizes those individuals who have made planned gifts, naming the Friends of Mount Auburn in their will or estate plan.
Chosen for their horticultural, historical, and symbolic significance to Mount Auburn and beyond, the plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees listed below have become the meaningful names of our new giving circles and levels.
Giving Circles
Perennial: Just as we cherish the yearly blooms of flowering perennials, we are grateful for the annual support of our donors, which is why we named our membership giving circle the Perennial Circle.
Laurel: Symbolizing triumph, fame, and distinction, laurel also represents honor and recognition. We are honored to recognize our most passionate supporters in the Laurel Circle.
Oak: One of the more revered trees, the oak is a symbol of longevity, dignity, strength, and knowledge. It therefore aptly gives its name to the Oak Circle, in which we recognize those who have generously named the Friends of Mount Auburn in their will or estate plan.
Giving Levels within the Laurel Circle
Lily: A recurring symbol on many of Mount Auburn’s monuments, lilies represent love and innocence.
Rose: A deeply symbolic flower with multifaceted meaning, the rose also connects to the remarkable rose window of Bigelow Chapel.
Azalea: Beyond the Victorian floriography meaning of temperance, azaleas also symbolize thoughtfulness, kindness, and positivity.
Dogwood: Often called an ornamental tree, the flowers of the dogwood represent renewal and resilience, and coincide with the sense of rebirth that arrives at springtime.
Cedar: Besides being an evergreen, which is itself meaningful, the cedar symbolizes success and length of days.
Birch: This New England favorite carries meaning across cultures, including protection, new beginnings, and adaptability.
Maple: Particularly stunning in its autumn colors, the maple represents sweetness and an appreciation for beauty, and Henry Dearborn, one of Mount Auburn’s founders, planted a magnificent swath of maples in the 1830s.
Watch Artist-In-Residence, Liz Walker’s “Dance of Arrival”
As Artist-in-Residence at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA, Walker has choreographed and performed, “Dance of Arrival”, a site-specific dance work which explores themes of life and death. A crucial touchpoint for the project is Liz’s experience as a dancer who is pregnant and preparing to welcome a new life.
Liz Walker is a classically trained ballet dancer and choreographer. Liz danced with Los Angeles Ballet as a soloist and now performs her own work at venues throughout the Boston area. In an interview, Walker told Mount Auburn,
“I am a lifelong classically trained ballet dancer. I performed for 12 years on and off with Los Angeles Ballet. The bulk of my career there was the 7 years after I had graduated from college. I had a great experience, but being in a ballet company is very all-consuming, and it takes a lot of physical maintenance. So as that time was coming to an end, I moved back here to Cambridge. I knew that I wanted to keep dancing and stay creative. I started picking up a few choreography jobs as a way to keep moving and keep doing projects. And then I found that I really enjoyed creating things, particularly site-specific works that respond to a particular environment. And so, I’ve been doing projects like that over the past several years since I retired from full-time ballet, and have been gaining my own voice as a creator, which has been really rewarding.”
From “Choreographing New Life and Death”. Read the full interview here: https://www.mountauburn.org/liz-walker-interview/
Walker also performed “Dance of Arrival: Summer’s End” in early September 2022 after giving birth. Walker guided visitors on a tour of historic graves on the theme of motherhood, as Walker and violinist Beth Bahia Cohen performed together in response to each site.
Guests then took their seats in Asa Gray Garden for the second half of the event, a meditative ballet to Beethoven’s “Spring” sonata.