Wandering through Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio, you’ll stumble across the graves of John D. Rockefeller, James A. Garfield, Eliot Ness, Harvey Pekar, and others. The Garfield Memorial is an especially lovely tower. Across the planet, from the Pyramids to the Taj Mahal, you’ll find grand monuments and mausoleums to humans who had historical significance. But you’ll also find countless graves for people who, though not famous, were just as loved by their special someones. And then, as you cross Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River to arrive at Riverside Cemetery, you’ll find the grave of Thomas “TOM” Joseph Baran. Well, technically just the headstone as Tom is presumably still alive and kicking.

It isn’t unusual to see headstones where a loved one has died and their significant other is chiseled in next to them in advance, but Tom’s marker is something quite different. The engraved headstone speaks (literally, it is written on) of art and aesthetics, noting Cimabue and Giotto. It also has pictures of Superman; Jesus (many Jesuses); a corner devoted to a beloved poodle Clare; and a lovely diagram of a flower arrangement. It spends some time on Hegel’s concept of Geist; is a mix of cursive, print, and type; and it contains several telescopes and countless other wonders such as a timeline from 10,000 BC to the space medieval gothic era of 40,000 AD. Near the top of the headstone, in all caps, the word ART appears, second in size only to TOM.

As I stand in front of Tom’s grave-to-be, enjoying so many moments in this beautiful piece, I am struck by the absolute excellence of this concept. A mausoleum might tell me that someone was rich, a small headstone (Thoreau’s comes to mind) speaks to humility, but this! This is art! Art that will be seen by people for generations to come. Not every maker graces the walls of MoMA or the Met (and often even if they’re in the collection they are in storage), but Tom’s ideas will be creating dialogue for many, many years to come. More than a headstone, this somewhat resembles a (premature) Japanese death poem—a reflection created when the author’s death is imminent and reflecting on life. What a wonderful thing to share! In death (or anticipation of death) Tom is carrying on a conversation with us all. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, I recommend stopping by. From the main entrance, it is just up the hill to the left.

In case you are wondering, I did an internet search to learn more about Tom to no avail… he clearly prefers a more enduring form of communication.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CORWIN LEVI

Corwin is a visual artist working in design, illustration, bookmaking, curating, and writing. As an artist, he has attended over twenty artist residencies. He has also have lived in eighteen cities across twelve states. Along with Michelle Aldredge, he co-created Mirror Mirrored: An Artists’ Edition of 25 Grimms’ Tales. He is currently remixing vintage game boards and making a book from illustrations of Alice in Wonderland.