Diana Holladay: Remembering An Artist

abstract: Diana Holladay was a mother, sister, daughter, wife, grandmother, friend, and artist. She played many roles and impacted many lives. She sought out beauty and brought it into the world through her art. When she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease her family watched her fade away. The Diana they knew and loved was no longer there. They could not mourn the loss of her being. This creative project served the purpose of exploring Diana’s past and art in order to help her family mourn and celebrate the woman she once was. The goal was to create a final art show and living memorial for Diana. The final art show would foster a sense of family, appreciation, and love. She had hundreds, if not thousands of sketches and pictures. She had a huge collection of painting left behind. During this project they were collected and organized for the show. Diana died exactly one month before the show. Her death brought her family together and helped them mourn. The art show was held in the Sedona Art Center where Diana once held art classes and her husband, Jim, layed the sandstone on the outside of the building. After her death, the attendance of her show nearly tripled. Hundreds of Diana’s family and friends celebrated this amazing woman. This creative project helped honor an incredible woman who truly changed lives and lead her life with love. This thesis helped us remember the woman and artist Diana Holladay was before her diagnosis and death. The final creation of this project was a website dedicated to Diana and her art and an essay describing the journey of this thesis. www.dianaholladay.co