El Dia de Los Muertos Press Release

Media Contact: Beth Manwaring 607-974-4254 manwaringb@rockwellmuseum.org

Date: October 21, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HONOR THE MEMORY OF ANCESTORS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS AT THE ROCKWELL MUSEUM'S "El Dia de los Muertos" CELEBRATION

CORNING, NY - The public is invited to the Rockwell Museum of Western Art on Sunday, November 7 from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. for a celebration of El Dia de los Muertos. Attendees will enjoy the demonstration of a traditional altar building and a paper craft making activity. The program is free of charge. Traditional hot chocolate and Pan de Muerto (Mexican bread) will be served.

El 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. 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.

Rockwell Museum of Western Art
Sunday, November 7, 2010
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Admission is Free

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Traditional Ofrenda (Altar) Building Demonstration by Mexican Folk Artists and Paper Flower Making Activity

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. -Paper Craft Making Activity in the Education Center

Hot chocolate with Pan de Muerto (traditional Mexican bread) will be served.

Now on View! Attendees will also have the chance to explore the Museum's special exhibition galleries, displaying 21st Century Regionalists: Art of the Next West and the middle school student El Dia de Los Muertos ofrenda (altar).

During the month of October, nearly 450 middle school Spanish students from the Corning-Painted Post Area School District, Elmira City School District, Horseheads Central School District, and Alfred-Almond Central School District created decorative objects for El Dia de los Muertos altar that is installed in the Museum's Education Gallery. The Museum's Education Department is in its ninth year of partnering with area schools and Spanish teachers in this special program. The Museum's program integrates cultural traditions with classroom education and creates an opportunity for students to connect an artistic experience with traditional learning.

The El Dia de los Muertos altar will be on display in the Museum's Education Gallery through November 14, 2010. The public is encouraged to visit the Rockwell Museum of Western Art and view the traditional altar. As always, Kids & Teens are FREE (19 & under). The Museum is open every day from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and is FREE on Sunday's November 7, 2010 - April 2011.

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 has candles and favorite foods of the deceased. People might also place meaningful, personal objects on the altar that belonged to the deceased. Other items found on the altars are zempasuchils or marigolds (the floral symbol of death), paper maché 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 maché 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.

Image Credit: Artwork on front created by Brad Leiby.
About the Rockwell Museum of Western Art

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art is located in the center of the Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York Sate and in the heart of Corning's Gaffer District. The Museum is open to the public seven days a week; hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Membership to the Museum includes yearlong free admission. For more information, please visit us online at www.rockwellmuseum.org.

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