Día de los Muertos: Memories Written in Verse

Reception with the artists: Sunday, October 14, 2018 (5-7 PM) – With live Andean music by Jacco Velarde.

The Bath House Cultural Center presents the 32nd Annual Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) art exhibition. This year, the exhibition has a literary theme and features Day of the Dead altars and visual art in a variety of media that include or are accompanied by poems.

The celebration of the Day of the Dead has always encouraged the creation of many art forms, including the literary arts. A common event during the festivities is the presentation of art and staged works that are inspired by writings that investigate the concept of life and death. For example, the poetic play Don Juan Tenorio, in which the death of the main character plays a central role, is performed across Spain and some Latin American countries every year on All Saint’s Day. Don Juan Tenorio and other morality plays, religious songs, and comedic writings related to the Day of the Dead have inspired visual artists for many years.

Another example of the literary side of the Day of the Dead is the traditional calaveras literarias (skull poems), which are illustrations containing simple forms of poetry that are written to honor, celebrate, or sometimes satirize dead or living people during the holiday. Because poetry is often seen as a genre of literature that gives special emphasis on the expression of feelings, its inclusion in the celebration of the memory of loved ones during the Day of the Dead is a natural fit.

The exhibition features artwork by Karen Eliza Aguilar, Chandra and Ronald Armstead, Rita Barnard, Katherine Baronet, Kim Bene, Elizabeth Bentley, Amy Boltrushek, Karen Bower Robinson, Molly Boyd, Kim Carothers, Vicki Charlotta, Melissa Chavez, Verona Chen, Patricia Curry, Andrea Davis, Mary Catherine Davis, Dan Dudley, Pamela Flores, Jacque Forsher, Michael Galgan, Dolores Godinez and Friends, Linda Goodwin, Rebecca Guy, Ericka Hagan, Juan J. Hernandez, Chad Hines, Amy Jenkins, Duane Johnson, Shelley Kommers, Keith Krempl, Ana Larranaga, Cindy Lemmon, Héctor Loera, Linda López, Barbara Mabli, Jackie MacLelland, Jas Mardis , Cyndi McDonnell, Michael McKenzie, Patricia McMillan, Nancy Merrill, Michael Miller, Jan Partin, Naldo Plata, Christopher Rahmeh, Ethel Betsaida Ramos Torres, Gail Roberts, Maria Ruenes, Mónica Santaella Valdivia, Helen Seebold, Maria Valentina Sheets, Heather Shoulders, Tanya Tewell, Wendy Tigchelaar, Jessica Trevizo, Mary Ann Turner, Lisa Vollrath, Lizeth Wallace, Utopia Weiner, Lori Morrell Whitaker, M.E. Wilcox, and Sandra Yeo.

Curated by Enrique Fernández Cervantes.

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