Indianapolis Art Center – Blog

What is El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)?

Strumming Up the Spirits by Tres Taylor

The Mexican tradition, Day of the Dead, is a blending of both indigenous Aztec beliefs and Spanish Christian beliefs surrounding death. The Aztecs, Maya and other pre-Hispanic peoples of Central and South America saw death as a part of the process of life. They honored the dead by inviting the spirits of the dead to return on certain days, placing food offerings on their tombs. When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, they combined the Aztec people’s beliefs and rites regarding death into their religious calendar.

Day of the Dead is a family celebration, a reunion of the living with their deceased relatives. On November 1, departed children are remembered. This is known as the Day of the Little Angels or Día de los Angelitos. Adults are remembered on November 2. Different regions of Mexico celebrate in different ways. In some villages a boisterous masquerade parade takes place while in other areas residents hold candle-lit vigils in the cemetery. Mexican communities in the United States also celebrate the Day of the Dead, blending their traditional fiesta with modern festivities.

The Day of the Dead at the Indianapolis Art Center

The Indianapolis Art Center began providing Day of the Dead programming in 2000 as a response to the growing Hispanic and Latino populations in Indianapolis. It started as a way to engage this community through a celebration of culture and tradition. The Art Center has found that Day of the Dead programming bridges all communities because death is an experience shared among all people. Communicating the history and importance of this celebration through art activities that reflect the tradition and engage children and adults in discussion regarding their own beliefs has connected people from all walks of life. The Art Center serves an educational role regarding Day of the Dead and continues to strive to bring people of all backgrounds together.

The Art Center provides five different components to its Day of the Dead programming:

• Exhibition of altars and shrines
• Tours of altars
• Exhibition of a Latino artist’s work in conjunction with the Day of the Dead
• Workshops in the community
• Celebration

Altars (exhibiting now through November 28)

The Indianapolis Art Center is celebrating its 11th Annual Day of the Dead Altar Exhibition and Celebration. Over the last ten years community members, artists, schools and families have been able to pay tribute to deceased loved ones or groups of people who have passed through the creation of an altar, ofrenda. The goal of constructing an altar, is to honor and symbolically welcome back the soul of the deceased person(s) during the 1st and 2nd of November, in Mexico this is known as Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead. In Mexico this is one way to celebrate this tradition of honoring deceased loved ones. Items on the altar celebrate the spirit of the deceased in a way that represents the life of that individual. Displaying such items as favorite foods and drink, photos and trinkets help to personalize the altar and tell a story about who is being honored.

This year’s Altar Exhibition Artists are: Montserrat Alsina & Roberto Ferreyra, Leticia Alvarez, Art Center Outreach Staff, Christ Church Cathedral, Consulate of Mexico, Mary Jo DeMyer, Patricia Hecker, Salvador Jimenez-Flores, The Latino/a Youth Collective of Indiana, Inc., Bianca Mandity, Andrea Marley, Amber & Estaban Martinez, Richard J. & Cassidy R. McGowan, Alyssa Oakley, Matthew Olson, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Spanish Class, Shelby Pendleton, Tamarindo Foundation, Kat Toebes and YMCA Youth Enrichment at Christel House Academy Foundation.

Shrines (exhibiting now through November 7)

A shrine serves as a type of memorial dedicated to an individual or a group of people who have died. Like altars, they’ve become a way of telling stories about people, providing individuals another way to express and transform loss into an experience of beauty. The shrine not only provides community members with an additional way to honor deceased loved ones but with a smaller format to work.

2010 Shrine Artists include: Logan Anderson, Erin Hanley & Crystal Mossberger, Patrick Flaherty, Mab Graves, Michelle Gunter, Joshua Harris, Kyle Herrington, Kris Hurst, Eric Jones, KEY Consumer Organization, Andrea Marley, Richard McGowan & Rob Millard-Mendez, Brooke Merry, Jacob Sexton, Michael & Michaela Shires and Erika Villarreal.

Check back throughout the week of October 25-30 for more stories on Day of the Dead, the Altars & Shrines, everything Day of the Dead!

-compiled by Art Center Staff