Ashes to Art: Whimsical Urns as Art

Urn-A-Matic, made from vintage vacuum cleaner parts, by Darin Montgomery

Quick, what does the word "cremation" bring to your mind? An image of spending eternity in a boring ol’ urn? Well, not anymore. Behold the new trend in the cremation industry: artistic funerary urns!

"I wouldn’t be making urns if they were just a cookie jar with a lid on top, sitting on a mantel," Knapp said. "That’s too morbid. If it’s a wacky-looking guy holding his own ashes over his head — now that lightens everything. The baby boomers all want to stand out. Even in the end, we want some whimsical receptacle for ourselves."

Jeff Spurrier of the Los Angeles Times has the story: Link | Photo Gallery

Previously on Neatorama (all the way from 2007): Darin Montgomery’s Urn-A-Matic