DeAd fRiEnDz (An Oliver Tree Tribute Art Show)

🎨🎶 STILL LOOKING FOR ARTISTS & PERFORMERS!! 🎶🎨
Jac Flats is seeking musicians, visual artists, and performance artists for a special tribute event inspired by grief, remembrance, and the connections we form with the artists who shape our lives.
This show was created for Oliver Tree fans during the week he was originally scheduled to perform in Minneapolis, and has grown into a broader exploration of loss, legacy, and parasocial relationships.
Looking for:
🎸 Musicians (cover performances preffered)
🖼️ Visual Artists
🎭 Performance Artists (all mediums welcome)
The exhibition is open to artwork inspired by deceased artists and the grief surrounding their loss. Think musicians like Mac Miller, Juice WRLD, and others whose work left a lasting impact. Visual art inspired by figures such as Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dalí, and other influential artists is also welcome. This show concept is still in the works and may change as I get feedback and ideas!
📅 Event Hours: 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
SHOW ENTRY IS FREE!!!! Donations Welcome :)
This is an all-ages show, but please note that some artwork, performances, or discussions may include mature themes, explicit content, and strong language.
🎧 The final two hours of the evening will feature an Oliver Tree sing along tribute DJ set. (tentative)
Interested in participating?
📩 DM me or email: [email protected]
Confirmed show details:
*Live tattoo artist with an Oliver Tree Tribute Flash sheet
*Live performances by local musicians, artists, poets (announcement soon :) )
* Live Community Mural
* Razor Scooter Auction to Raise Funds For Oliver Tree's Grant for Baby Genius's
Updated Show Information:
DEAD FRIENDS: Grieving the Artists We Never Knew
An Exhibition Exploring Para-social Grief, Music, Memory, and Loss
Dead Friends is a multimedia community art exhibition exploring para-social grief, the very real emotions that can arise when we lose artists, musicians, performers, and public figures who shaped our lives, even if we never met them personally.
As artists, many of us grow up alongside the music, films, artwork, and personalities that help us survive difficult periods of our lives. These creators become companions through heartbreak, loss, isolation, growth, and change. When they are gone, the grief can feel confusing, profound, and deeply personal.
This exhibition began as a personal tribute to Oliver Tree, whose creativity, music, humor, and unique artistic vision inspired me throughout some of the most challenging periods of my life. His work helped me through breakups, the isolation of the COVID era, and countless moments when I needed something strange, authentic, and inspiring to hold onto.
As an artist, Oliver's commitment to creativity and supporting emerging artists resonated deeply with me. Should this project exceed its funding goals, I hope to donate a portion of proceeds to Dr. Oliver Tree's Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses Foundation, helping continue a mission of supporting young and emerging artists.
While Oliver Tree inspired this exhibition, Dead Friends is ultimately about all of the artists who have left a lasting mark on our lives. We welcome work inspired by musicians, filmmakers, writers, performers, internet personalities, and cultural icons whose influence continues long after they're gone. This is a show about memory, grief, influence, connection, and the ways art helps us make meaning of loss.
When Oliver Tree died in June 2026, I was completely heartbroken. I had never experienced that level of grief for someone I had never met, and at first, I didn't quite understand it. Then I opened social media. Everywhere I looked were people sharing memories, videos, artwork, stories, and tears. It became clear that I wasn't grieving alone. Thousands of people were mourning an artist whose work had touched their lives in deeply personal ways.
Dead Friends was born from that shared experience. This exhibition explores para-social grief, artistic influence, memory, and loss while creating a space for artists and fans alike to celebrate the creators who helped them navigate life, inspired their work, and left a lasting mark on who they are today.
Before his death, Oliver frequently spoke about supporting artists and helping creative people pursue their dreams. If this project exceeds its funding goals, a portion of proceeds will be donated to Dr. Oliver Tree's Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses, helping continue that mission of supporting future artists.
I'm organizing this exhibition entirely on my own through Artspace Jackson Flats in Northeast Minneapolis. As both an artist and a mental health therapist, I am deeply interested in the ways people form connections, process grief, and use creativity as a tool for healing. This project combines those passions.
My goal is to create more than a gallery show. I want to create an immersive community experience featuring visual art, live music, performances, collaborative art-making, and opportunities for people to connect through a shared experience of remembrance and creativity.
With community support, this has the potential to become one of the most unique and memorable art events of the summer.

Donate to fund for the show here:
https://www.gofundme.com/manage/an-oliver-tree-tribute-show
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/olivertreetribute/dead-friends-grieving-the-artists-we-never-knew