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Inspired by
Mexico
’s ancient past,
Electra Karamargin
’s mosaic shows a Mayan ballplayer in a game that reenacts a battle fought between the gods of creation and gods of death. Stirred by more contemporary Mexican folk art forms, Marco Albarrán uses actual folk art toys in his work, while
Rachel Slick
’s masks and Larry Vance’s shrines are reminiscent of the bright colors and simple materials of popular art. Linda Bark’karie paints her own rendition of the famous skeleton image of La Catrina, originated by beloved Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada.
The loss and remembrance of friends and family members are the themes of several works.
Lyn Hart
’s tapestry is woven in loving admiration of artist Georgia O’Keeffe. Using handcast paper Robert Chapman conjures an altar at a poignant moment when a candle is lit in remembrance of an ancestor.
Marti White
uses photographic reproductions of her relatives in making a quilt that pays homage to them. Ruben Urrea Moreno’s painting Family Ties reminds us of a symbolic thread that connects us with those who have died. Su Egen’s embroidery Forever Dancing is a sweet reassurance that a friend will always live on: “You do not walk alone and we shall walk with you and sing your spirit home.”[1]
The somber presence of death and grief is explored as well. In M. S. Esparza’s Baptism, she investigates “the foreshadowing of death present in every birth.” The loss of her sister to breast cancer motivated Julia M. Miller to probe her own grief and the ways that others deal with the grieving process. In a photographic mosaic of 49 roadside shrines,
Pat
ricia Katchur shows her fascination with the public symbols of “love and a need not to forget” those who have died.
The duality of light/dark and life/death are the subjects of
Sharon
Brady’s double-sided steel silhouettes and
Jennifer Eschedor
’s Constructing a Life quilt. An otherworldly impression of the afterlife is invented by Rebecca Busher, and
Richard Zelens
paints the animated push and pull of body (skeleton) and spirit. A relative newcomer to the Southwest, Cindy Monro embraces the distinctive colors and fauna of the desert in her painting of a skeleton and butterflies.
Joseph Marshall and
Mary Lou Williams
use printmaking as a vehicle to create strong graphic images of playful skeletons and ghouls.
Pat
Manion and Delia Silva choose humble materials of beads, feathers and wire to shape their fanciful skeletons. Pamela Jai Powers has assembled a simple shrine of mosaic tile, flowers and candles while
Bonnie
Marson and husband Steve Sadler embellish an actual guitar with glittery mirror fragments, beads and baubles amid dancing skeletons.
Sam Esmoer
, Laurel Hansen, Dave Newman, Victor Navarro-Sandoval, and William A. Wiggins III all take a festive approach in their work. Their skeletons inhabit a world where they still enjoy the same earthly desires and pleasures they experienced as humans.
The themes of death, loss, and remembrance have a powerful impact because they are experiences that touch us all. As people outside the Mexican-American community become aware of the meaning of Day of the Dead, more are embracing its message of love, honor and respect for their ancestors and lost loved ones.
We hope you too will embrace the reverence and joyous remembrance of Día de los Muertos. We encourage you to leave a token in memory of a loved one on our Community Altar.
Vicki Donkersley
Curator of Exhibitions
[1] Lyrics from the song Singing the Spirit Home by Eric Bogle.
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