Exhibition | Workshop | Parade & Festival
October 21 – November 19, 2016
One of our most festive times of the year is around the holiday of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). This year marks the 24th anniversary of our annual ‘Dia’ exhibition. The opening reception (Friday, October 21) each year promises a festivity of community and love, with traditional Mexican folk dance, botanas (snacks) and celebration of loved ones who’ve passed and those who are around us.
On top of that, our educational workshop will be in full swing! The Dia workshop, opened to educator and student groups of all ages, aims to give insight on the tradition and history of the celebration and examine the rituals and symbolism behind associated items like sugar skulls, monarch butterflies, marigolds, etc. Each session consists of video presentation, guided tour of the exhibition and hands-on art making.
We are honored to be a partner of the 7th annual Dia de los Muertos parade and festival at Walker Square Park on Saturday, October 29. WPCA will
We are also partnering with “Dia de los Muertos Milwaukee” to host art making workshops as well as participate in the annual festival and parade, which will be on Saturday, October 29 this year.
See below for details:
Opening Reception: Friday, October 21, 5–9 pm
October 21 – November 19
Marking the 24th year of this annual exhibit, Dia de los Muertos (November 1 & 2, to be exact) calls for us all to pay tribute to our loved ones who have passed away, to celebrate their lives and provide offerings in welcoming their returning spirits during this holiday. Colorful ofrendas are decorated with traditional items like sugar skulls, flowers, papel picado, as well as personal items and that in which represent who they were in life. Not only do we celebrate the lives of the dead, Dia also is a time to reflect on the precious lives that are still with us. After all, death is a part of the cycle of life, as is living.
This year’s theme is “Peace and Unity,” as we celebrate Dia not only to honor the dead but also rejoice in the wonders of life and that we are all more similar than different.
Featured ofrendas by: Jeanette Arellano, Georgina Campbell, Celeste Contreras, Marcela Garcia, Janice L. Mahlberg, Pam Miller, Dulce Rosas & South Division High School students, Mary Smith, Sue Vliet, Voces de la Frontera and WPCA After School Art Class students – led by Arts Education Coordinator Maikue Vang, they will present an ofrenda in honor of the late community organizer Juan Carlos Ruiz, who passed away on March 3, 2016.
2D artwork by Leann Wooten, Diego Heredia, Jamie Bilgo Bruchman, Gary Warren Neibuhr, and more!
Opening Reception, Friday, Oct. 21
5:00–9:00 pm
Join us for the opening reception as we kick off the Dia celebration with appetizers from Cempazuchi, pan de muertos and cocoa, and Mexican folk dance performance by Instituto Cultural de Danza de Manuel Goana.
