Learn more about Día de los Muertos
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The 31st annual Día de los Muertos Exhibit, opening with a Fiesta Reception on Friday, October 11, from 5 – 8 pm, features work in a wide array of media by 23 artists, seven altars or ofrendas honoring the dead, artwork by 10 Mexican printmakers, and a Day of the Dead Gift Shop with authentic crafts from Mexico presented by Suzanne Algara of Buganvilla Imports. The exhibit is on view through Saturday, November 2. The Title Sponsor of the 2024 Día de los Muertos Exhibit is Lane Forest Products.
The Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead holiday blends the ancient harvest rituals of the Aztec god of death and the Roman Catholic holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days. The practice of creating ofrendas is an essential part of the holiday. The ofrendas are intended to please the spirits of the dead who are believed to return briefly to the land of the living on November 1 and 2. Among the seven ofrendas in the 2024 exhibit is one which honors the Art Center’s namesake, Maude I. Kerns.
The Fiesta Reception on October 11 is a festive celebration with food and entertainment. Music is provided by the community group El Taller de Son Jarocho and traditional dancing by Ballet Folklórico Colibrí.
Mexican artist Violeta Juárez is one of 10 printmakers participating in the 2024 Día de los Muertos Exhibit through a collaboration with Alejandro IV Barragán of Día de los Muertos Oregon. Juárez works in relief printmaking on linoleum and focuses on the themes of death and the feminine. She is part of the collective PRINTERAS and has participated in group exhibits in Mexico and internationally.
Eugene artist Melissa Sikes has been participating in the Art Center’s annual Día de los Muertos Exhibit since 2014. This year she reintroduces the theme of harvest in her whimsical acrylic painting, Gardens: English Cottage, where a skeleton couple relaxes in a garden full of colorful flowers. Sikes comments about her attraction to the Día de los Muertos celebration: “Rituals and conversations about the dead are often lacking in the US. That is a big reason I am drawn to the beauty of the Día de los Muertos tradition of honoring and remembering our dearly departed with playful and joyful images.”
Eugene artist Madeline McKee exhibits a collection of mixed media pieces that she refers to as mosaics, created with a variety of materials, including acrylic paint, cardboard, vintage Mexican tiles, photographs, beaded lariats, and more, all held together in resin with glitter. McKee has been influenced by the idea of celebrating and honoring ancestors that is expressed in the Day of the Dead holiday. When she tragically lost her teenaged son, her work became a deeply personal way to process and accept his death.
In honor of the cultural holiday of Día de los Muertos, the Art Center is hosting a Free Día de los Muertos Family Fun Day on Saturday, October 26, from 1 – 4 pm. Family and friends are invited to come to the Center and enjoy free art activities, storytelling, and games.
