COLORADO SPRINGS — From November 1st through November 2nd, the public can enjoy a free event at the Fine Arts Center for this year's Dia de Muertos celebration.
Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrates life and death which demonstrates love and respect for the deceased family remembers. The tradition originated in various indigenous cultures and is celebrated throughout Latin America and parts of the United States.
The public can enjoy free museum admission with artist demonstrations, performances, food, activities led by Colorado College's Mobile Arts Truck, and more.
Colorado College's Mariachi Tigre ensemble will perform popular Mexican folk music and dance groups Ballet Folklorico de la Raza, Ballet Folklorico de Barajas, and Grupo Folklorico Sabor Latino of Denver will also perform.
Visitors will also get a guided hands-on activity on creating tissue paper marigolds and sugar skulls along with getting an up-close viewing of a selection of objects from the Mexican Folk Art Collection.
The Fine Arts Center celebration begins Friday, Oct. 21 with Denver-based artist Cal Duran's "WE ARE ALL CONNECTED" installation from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Art has been a portal to channel my indigenous ancestors, where I slip under an emotional spinning vortex of creation,” said Duran.
And right now, you can check out the exhibit “Chicanx Landscapes” through February 12th. This exhibition explores landscapes as a system of ecology, history, culture, and belonging from a Chicanx perspective with new works presented by the interdisciplinary artist collaborative, Desert ArtLAB.
In addition, Ofrendas have been created by students from seven local schools and community organizations and will also be displayed at the museum Oct. 12-Nov. 6.
"Ofrendas" are altars created to honor a deceased person and are traditionally filled with food, flowers, and candles. Over the past two months, students spent time learning about the tradition and creating their own "ofrendas" reflective of their own contexts and communities.
Students from Cheyenne Mountain Jr. High School, Grand Mountain School, Harrison High School, Palmer High School, Widefield Elementary School of the Arts, Peak Education, and the Stroud Scholars Program will feature their work in the museum galleries. And dancers from Harrison and Palmer will also perform at the event on Nov. 1 and 2.
The event closes out with a live concert and special appearance by Satya Jnani Chávez and Brian Quijada, starring in a limited run concert of original music “Songs from the Border” on the Fine Arts Center mainstage Nov. 3-6.
“It is truly a blessing to be able to participate in this year's Fine Arts Center Dia de Los Muertos celebration. This is just one way to remember and pay respect to our ancestors and those loved ones who have passed. While it is customary to remember our loved ones with items such as pan de Muerto (bread of the dead), sugar skulls and many other offerings, we also celebrate them through music, dance and arts. We must remember that our dead are never truly dead to us, until we stop speaking their name or they are forgotten,” said Leonor Gonzales, Ballet Folklorico de Barajas Director.
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