“Día de los Muertos,” an art exhibit of drawings and cultural pieces, was on display in the Barr Gallery to represent the Mexican celebration of life.
Día de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” was a collaboration of the Fine Arts Program, including ceramic, print-making and drawing classes.
“We tried to get everyone involved so that it could be an art experience, but it can also be a culture experience,” Francisco Martin, graphic design senior and the exhibit’s coordinator, said.
Martin was raised in Mexico and celebrated Day of the Dead at his home. Martin said this Mexican celebration is intended to honor people who have died.
“They celebrate at homes or in graveyards and unite with their ancestors,” Martin said.
Martin said a popular way for people to honor their ancestors is by offering gifts the dead enjoyed while they were on earth.
Many of the guests at the opening reception of Día de los Muertos were enthusiastic about the event.
Wende Cudmore, fine arts senior, painted her face as a skeleton.
“It’s good to show the heritage of other countries,” Cudmore said. “It’s a festivity for Mexican culture.”
While viewing the art gallery at the opening reception, guests were offered traditional Mexican food, such as tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole or sweet bread. A mariachi band, Zelaya, played Mexican music throughout the reception, talking to guests in Spanish or dancing throughout the gallery.
Smiling skeletons and other colorful depictions of the Mexican holiday were hung around the walls of the gallery.
Donna Stallard, lecturer in fine arts and the Barr Gallery director, said she was proud that every part of the Fine Arts Program got involved in the exhibit.
“Ceramic, print-making, drawing — everyone took initiative to put this together,” Stallard said. “They spent a lot of time working on their pieces.”
The main focus of the room was given to a three-tiered altar, which Martin said was created to help people better understand Day of the Dead.
“The first tier is dedicated to our roots, our ancestry,” Martin said. Earthly materials, such as food and skeletons, were placed on this tier to represent the world as humans see it.
Martin said the skeletons were a reference to the fact that everyone dies.
Although death is a major part of this holiday, Martin said it is not the focus of the celebration.
“Día de los Muertos is colorful,” Martin said. “It’s celebratory. This is not a celebration of death. It’s a celebration of life.”
The second tier was decorated with toys, such as baby dolls and musical instruments. Martin said this tier symbolized youth.
“This is the special moment when we are pure,” he said. “We are not corrupted.”
Above the third tier hung picture frames of different shapes and sizes. Martin said this tier symbolized the future.
“The things we admire most go into frames,” Martin said. “They are our goals and what we want to see goes in them.”
He said the altar was meant to emphasize how Day of the Dead is a celebration of people.
“A lot of people have the perception that this is a religious celebration, when it’s not,” Martin said.
Martin said the altar dates back to indigenous times, when Catholicism was not prevalent in Mexico. Day of the Dead was the one day of the year when ancestors’ spirits would return to earth.
Martin also said many of the images associated with the holiday have a meaning behind them. For example, the happy skeletons dressed in elaborate clothing are called Katrinas.
“At the time, the Katrina was born to mock the elite society,” Martin said. “People in Mexico were so poor, and there were the wealthy people. It became an item for Day of the Dead after that, this idea of mocking the dead.”
By BRITTANY POWELL
Staff
bripowel@umail.iu.edu