Day of the Dead 2003

ROCKWELL TO HOST ANNUAL "DAY OF THE DEAD" WORKSHOP AND EXHIBIT

October 23, 2003

Dia de Los Muertos is a festival of "welcome" for the souls of the dead. The celebration is prepared and enjoyed by the living and honors those who have passed. On Saturday, November 1, 2003 the Rockwell Museum of Western Art will host its annual Dia de Los Muertos Workshop, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The customs surrounding this celebration are based on ancient traditions traced to the Aztec civilization in Mexico. The belief is that the souls of the deceased return each year to enjoy, for a few brief hours, the pleasures they once knew in life. Today, this celebration combines Native American and European customs and is primarily practiced among Hispanic, Mestizo and Indigenous peoples from the American Southwest to South America.

Back by popular demand, Gregorio Pedroza, PhD will start the program with the animated storytelling that has endeared him to the Corning and Elmira community. According to Cindy Weakland, Director of Public Programming, "Gregorio effortlessly blends English and Spanish as he tells the stories of his youth and opens the door into the cultural traditions of the Dia de los Muertos celebration. Audiences enjoy learning about diverse cultural history and celebrations through the art of storytelling and Gregorio's stories paint a vivid picture of this colorful tradition."

Following the Pedroza session, participants in the workshop will enjoy refreshments traditional to the holiday and will be guided through a hands-on art activity. The activity will involve creating objects that would ordinarily be featured on a Dia de Los Muertos altar. The projects created by participants will be displayed in the museum's Education Gallery as part of the exhibit, which will include a traditional Dia de Los Muertos altar.

In general, an altar like that featured in the museum's exhibit would be built in a family's home and would be an integral part of the celebration. A typical altar will have candles and favorite foods of the deceased. People might also place meaningful, personal objects on the altar that had belonged to the deceased. Other items found on the altars are zempasuchils or marigolds (the floral symbol of death), paper mache pieces, images of saints, sugar skulls, and Pan de Los Muertos (Bread of the Dead). Calaveras or skeletons are widely associated with Day of the Dead and their images are common during this time of year. These paper mache or clay skeletons are often displayed doing daily activities in order to demonstrate the wit and humor of the deceased; their liveliness also reminds us of the longevity of the soul.

Weeks prior to the public celebration Gigi Alvare, Rockwell Museum Director of Education, will be working with Spanish Classes from area middle schools to create the initial artwork and objects for the altar. The program was developed through the collaborative efforts of Michele Bonet-Grund, Horseheads Middle School Spanish teacher and Alvare to help integrate the cultural traditions with their classroom learning. The program, in its third year, has expanded to include two additional middle schools, Ernie Davis in Elmira and Corning Free Academy, giving students the opportunity to connect an artistic experience to a traditional learning experience.

The participating schools applied to Schuyler-Chemung-Tioga/Corning Teacher Center for funding to help support this opportunity. The SCT/C Teacher Center offers a mini-grant program each year to area educators to develop innovative projects that impact instruction and student learning.

The museum will open the altar as a community exhibit by inviting the public to participate in the workshop on November 1st. The community is also invited to come to the museum during regular hours through November 23rd to view the altar.

The cost for the workshop is $3.50 for Students; $7 for Members; and $10 for Not-Yet-Members. Reservations are required as space is limited by calling 607-974-2333.