(Above: A detail from 25 and Counting, by artist Analee Fuentes. The title refers to the 25th anniversary of celebrating Día de los Muertos at the Maude Kerns Art Center.)
By Randi Bjornstad
Adam and Eve Day of the Dead, by Mitzi Linn, is one of the many items in this year’s exhibit at the Maude Kerns Art Center
With all the horrors in the news these days, it’s natural and justified to feel dread and anxiety about the death and destruction that seems to be plaguing the world. Maybe it’s not really more than it’s ever been, but sometimes it feels that way, given the 24-hour news cycle that is increasingly hard to ignore.
So it may come as something of a relief and reset to have a chance to lighten the emotional load by celebrating loved ones who are no longer with us at the same time that we recognize and mourn the inevitability immortalized by Benjamin Franklin in 1789 when he wrote to a friend:
Remembering and celebrating loved ones who have is the purpose of Día de Los Muertos, expressed here in Blooming Memories by Jesus Cruz Jr.
“Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
The Maude Kerns Art Center gives the Community a way of doing that every year, and this year is the 25th time that it has celebrated the dearly departed with its Día de Los Muertos — Day of the Dead — exhibit.
Samuel Becerra’s Skull sculpture exemplifies the dual meaning of Día de Los Muertos, recognizing loss as well as celebrating beautiful memories
The tradition comes from central America, where people grieve just as much for their loved ones who have died, but where they also use music, dance, art and colorful get-togethers to not only celebrate those spirits but also to invite them back to life for a joyous reunion.
Día de Los Muertos combines the ancient Aztec harvest rituals with the Christian observances of the late fall All Souls and All Saints days of Nov. 1 and 2.
It’s a time when families tend and decorate the gravesites of their loved ones, put up altars with food and mementos to entice their spirits to return, and engage in lively music and dancing to entertain them and welcome them back into the fold.
Día de Los Muertos/Day of the Dead
When: Through Saturday, Nov. 3
Where: Maude Kerns Art Center, 1910 E. 15th Ave., Eugene
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday
Details: Special Día de la Familia/Family Day from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27
Information: 541-345-1571 or mkartcenter.org
“Dog Gone It” by Eileen Finn is one of the ways that Día de Los Muertos makes the memory of those who have died more joyful
