"Calacas,” or handmade skeleton figurines, are often depicted performing the tasks of the living, such as playing an instrument, driving a car or riding a horse

RAM Talks Art: Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

By Stacey Sauer, Education Coordinator, Rockford Art Museum



This Halloween, children will be out roaming the streets dressed as unearthly creatures. There will be skeletons, witches, vampires, devils and zombies. Even Death and his scythe may make an appearance. What many people may not realize is this is not the only holiday associated with death celebrated this week.

Thursday, Nov. 1 (All Saints' Day) and Friday, Nov. 2 (All Souls' Day), the Mexican holiday “Día de los Muertos,” or “Day of the Dead,” will be celebrated in many cities of the United States, as well as Mexico.

Day of the Dead has its roots in the rituals of the native people of Mexico. To the ancient Americans, death was not something to be feared, nor was it viewed as final. Instead, it was part of the natural cycle of life, and was something to be celebrated. On this holiday, the souls of the departed come back to earth and join the living for a short time.

When the Spanish came to the Americas, they brought with them the traditions of the Catholic Church. The beliefs and rituals of both cultures merged, resulting in the holiday we now know as Day of the Dead, a celebration of death.

The folk art that accompanies this ritual is very distinctive and unique to Mexican culture. Those who celebrate the Day of the Dead have a different view of the afterlife: Since the spirits return to the earth on these days, those departed from us retain their identities.

“Calacas,” or handmade skeleton figurines, are often depicted performing the tasks of the living, such as playing an instrument, driving a car or riding a horse. Popular images are a skeletal bride in her white bridal gown, escorted by her boney groom. These calacas, dressed as the living and acting out everyday events, serve to add humor to the concept of death, making it less frightening.

An essential component to Day of the Dead is the “ofrenda,” an altar, from the Spanish word for “offering,” created to remember deceased relatives or friends. Altars incorporate many elements of the deceased, including photographs, clothing and other items that belonged to the departed. Highly-decorated sugar skulls with the names of the departed adorn many altars, indicating to the departed they have returned home, where the living await their arrival.

A special sweet bread, “Pan de Muerto” or “Bread of the Dead,” is made in the shape of human figures and placed on the altar as well. Water, coffee, tequila or any other favorite beverage, are put into special containers and placed on the altar.

“Cempasúchil,” flowers similar to marigolds, are offered to the dead to light the way for the dead as they return to join the family.

Rockford artist Adriana Villagomez has an ofrenda in the exhibition “Día de los Muertos: A New Beginning,” on display now through Dec. 16 at the National Mexican Museum of Art (NMMA, formerly the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum) in Chicago. Each year, the NMMA asks for exhibition proposals from artists of Mexican heritage. Adriana submitted her piece, which was accepted by Oscar Sánchez, curator of the exhibition.

For her ofrenda, Adriana created an installation of life-size papier-mâché figures. When asked why she chose this particular piece, Adriana told me: “I wanted my piece to honor the great papier-mâché tradition of life size or larger than life. After visiting the NMMA exhibit in past years, I felt that I hadn't seen the life-size papier-mâché figures made by local Hispanics like I have seen in Mexico City, so I wanted to create work that would use large skeleton figures.”

Her figures are in a party setting, playing a traditional game called “la lotteria,” a game of chance. “I used the lotteria because it is an important part of the Mexican culture and the game has pieces named death and skeleton,” she said.

Adriana also works as an art teacher at Rockford Environmental Science Academy (RESA). As both an artist and art teacher, she uses the art of Mexico to teach others, as well as to embrace her heritage. For her, teaching others about her heritage, including Mexican traditions such as Day of the Dead, is important.

“When immigrants leave their homelands, often the cultural traditions are also left. Reaching out to your culture like this is called /cultura cura/ and literally means ‘culture heals,'” she said.

The Montague Branch of the Rockford Public Library (1238 S. Montague St., Rockford) will host a Day of the Dead celebration Friday, Nov. 2, 4-5 p.m. The event will feature a speaker who will explain the significance of the holiday, as well as an altar and art activities for children.

For more information about the “Día de los Muertos” exhibition at the National Museum of Mexican Art, visit www.nationamuseumofmexicanart.org.

For more information about the Day of the Dead celebration at the Montague Branch Library, call (815) 965-7606.

Education Coordinator Stacey Sauer can be reached at ssauer@rockfordartmuseum.org.

from the Oct. 31-Nov. 7, 2007, issue

 

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