About Lisa Havelin
“Animals have been the guiding force of my path. My artworks and my work in the human-animal bond, seek to acknowledge their value as fully sentient partners; to advocate for them in ways that allow the full expression of their individuality; and to honor their teachings and gifts.”
-Lisa Havelin MA, MFA, LMFT
Lisa received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Metalsmithing from the renowned graduate program at SUNY New Paltz and began exploring reliquaries when her beloved 23 year old cat, Miss Moppet, died her first year in graduate school. She has been making reliquaries for 25 years. Her devotion to animals and their people led her to receive her Master of Arts degree in Psychology with emphasis in the human-animal bond, and family systems that include an animal as an integral member of the family. She worked in Veterinary Social Services at the University of MN Veterinary Medical Center, providing support to individuals and families facing end-of-life with their animals.
“Finding an anchor after loss — Lisa Havelin, the founder and artist behind Pet Reliquaries, has always had a keen understanding of death and grief. This bittersweet knowledge first surfaced when, at the age of five, she fell deeply in love with her first cat, Miss Moppet. “I was very aware that someday we would have to say goodbye,” says Havelin. The two intimate companions had been together for 23 years when Miss Moppet died of kidney disease. Through her intense grief and metal-smithing skills, Havelin honed an interest in crafting reliquaries, ritual objects that have been used for centuries to house sacred objects. Havelin decided to create a piece of jewelry to hold a small portion of Moppet’s ashes. In so doing, Havelin found that she was able to give her grief and love form. Using metal and cremains to create a piece of memorial jewelry enabled her to publicly honor her cat and transmute her own pain into something of meaning and beauty…” Read the full article by Jeannine Moga at StarTribune.com>
Lisa continues her work as an artist/metalsmith, recently producing a body of work related to the loss of her beloved cat, Winnifred. This series, titled “Mourning Crowns”, was featured in Metalsmith Magazine’s prestigious Exhibition In Print, 2014. Lisa is always thinking about and exploring new ways to work with pet memorial jewelry. For further information about Lisa’s artwork please visit: www.lisahavelinmetals.com
Lisa continues her work as a psychologist and maintains a private practice. She has specialized training in grief and bereavement, human-animal bond, equine-assisted therapy, sensorimotor therapy, somatic meditation, and expressive-arts. To learn more about Lisa’s counseling practice please visit: www.lisahavelin.com
