Artist profile in the new July edition of Funeral Home and Cemetery News!
Red Lodge, MT — You wouldn’t leave the walls of your funeral home empty. The artwork you display should be intentional, furthering your goals of empathy, assistance, and compassion.
Dwight Cushman, funeral director and artist, offers a solution to fit the needs of forward-thinking funeral homes looking to update their decor to better connect with families.
“Most décor relies on serene, pastoral landscapes, Thomas Kinkade imagery, or soft regional photography. While these peaceful images offer quiet comfort, they miss an opportunity to do something more profound for the families we serve, especially the growing number of secular families who may not fully understand the value of a traditional service,” he says.
Dwight’s paintings showcase the beauty, dignity, and necessity of funeral traditions. They act as a functional tool to remind families of the comfort achieved by ceremonies, encouraging families to begin the healing process by actively acknowledging a loved one’s passing.“
We cannot display actual photographs of the services we conduct; those moments are deeply private and personal,” Dwight says. “However, a painting of a service provides a beautiful, universal representation of what we do. It elevates the profession, respects privacy, and gently guides families toward meaningful arrangements by visually telling the story of our time-honoredtraditions.
”Dwight’s professional background — both in the funeral profession and as a fine artist — is based in “a desire to provide comfort, empathy, and dignity to people during their most vulnerable moments.”
He majored in industrial design at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. For a major design project, he focused on Arlington National Cemetery, performing extensive research, interviewing cemetery staff, and speaking with funeral directors and clergy members. He was drawn to the sense of purpose involved in deathcare.
After graduation, Dwight worked at an architectural firm, while pursuing an Executive MBA. “My MBA capstone project focused on the development and operation of a combined funeral home and cemetery, and I realized that to truly serve families the way I envisioned, I needed to become a licensed deathcare professional,” he states.
Dwight is a licensed funeral director/embalmer, crematory operator, and preneed counselor. He has experience working at over a dozen funeral homes and cemeteries across five states. “Every step of my educational and professional journey has been driven by a singular goal: to combine the thoughtful intention of design with a dedication to honoring families and elevating the funeral service profession,” he says.
In 2017, Dwight founded a local community art group. Through his work with the group, he realized how much painting helped his mental health and well-being. “It provided a restorative, peaceful counterbalance to the demanding schedule of full-time funeral directing,” he says.“
Our funeral homes and cemeteries are sacred spaces where families look for comfort, reassurance, and a sense of enduring dignity. I intentionally design my artwork to fit seamlessly into these professional environments,” Dwight states. “My goal is to create beautiful, atmospheric pieces that don't just fill empty wall space, but actively support the arrangement and chapel experience, acting as a quiet visual comfort for families and a testament to the honor we bring to funeral service every single day.” To learn more or to view samples of Dwight’s paintings, visit www.cushmanfineart.com.