The Center is proud to present Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead): A Celebration of Life

Event Date

Friday, October 30 2009 : 6:00pm

Location

The Center

Description

Friday, October 30, 2009

The Center is proud to present Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead):
A Celebration of Life
Reception at 6PM-8PM

Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrates the life and memory of our ancestors and loved ones who have passed away. This ritual has been observed by indigenous cultures and Latinas\os for over 3000 years. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to celebrate and remember friends and relatives who have died. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, and offering sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed. In this spirit, The Center will create an alter to honor the memory of the members of our community who worked tirelessly to empower and transform our community.

The Center would like to invite you to participate in this event by helping to decorate the alter with flowers, candles, sugar skulls or by bringing the favorite beverage or food of a family member or friend who has passed away.

The Center is proud to announce that Ms. Kai Margarida-Ramirez will be exhibiting her work at the Day of the Dead Art Exhibit.

Kai Margarida-Ramírez aims to create work promoting social change while incorporating popular culture. She does so by focusing on her passion for mixed media and collage. The artist credits her inspiration to the papel picado art form to master artist, Catalina Delgado Trunk."

Papel picado means punched or perforated paper and is most recognizable in the strings of brightly colored banners used during Mexican fiestas and celebrations. The art of paper-cutting derives from techniques and materials of Asian, European, and Pre-Columbian artistic traditions. The Chinese invented paper-making and developed paper cutting arts which then travelled to Japan and Central Asia. The Moors further proliferated cultural exchange between these locales and Spain. When the Spanish arrived in Mesoamerica, they found artists working with a paper made of bark, called amatl. Their designs were often cut with pieces of obsidian and depicted Aztec gods and goddesses. Then, beginning in the 16th century, Spanish trade ships carried a wealth of goods between the Philippines and Acapulco. These items, wrapped in tissue paper, or papel de china, became a favored material of Mexican artists.