A matter of death and life

The description of a new class about death begins with this quote from Woody Allen: “It’s not that I’m afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

Death has provided good material for lots of other artists and writers too. The Skirball Cultural Center takes an in-depth look during its 10-week seminar “Six Feet Under: Death and Memorialization From Modern to Ancient Times.”

The program, which begins tonight, will explore how death is dealt with in art, music and popular entertainment, as well as how different cultures have viewed death through history.

Offered for the first time, the class is largely an experiment, says Sylvia Sukup, who will co-teach with Leonard Koff of the UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

“Death is a universal experience,” says Sukup. “We hope people can gain a new perspective on their own experiences by looking at death through other lenses -- different cultures and historical periods, different ways that museums and artists and composers over the years have taken on the subject.”

Guest speakers include Craig Wright, a writer for “Six Feet Under,” HBO’s series about a family that owns a funeral business. Visits also are planned to Hollywood Forever Cemetery and to local museums.

Rabbi Carla Howard, co-founder and co-director of the Jewish Hospice Project, is among scheduled speakers. “American society sort of pushes death away and makes it a medical event and not a separate reality,” Howard says. “It’s not viewed as being a part of life.”

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“Six Feet Under: Death and Memorialization From Modern to Ancient Times,” Thursdays, 7-10 p.m. through April 15 at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. $200; $150 for members; $100 for students. (310) 440-4500 or www.skirball.org.