ROCKWELL MUSEUM’S “El Dia de los Muertos? CELEBRATION

Monday, 30 October 2006 11:33

CORNING, NY – El Dia de los Muertos is a festival of “welcome” for the souls of the dead.  The celebration is prepared and enjoyed by the living and honors those who have passed.  On Saturday, November 4, 2006, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art will host its annual El Dia de los Muertos celebration.  The customs surrounding this celebration are based on ancient traditions traced to the Aztec civilization in Mexico.  The belief is that the souls of the deceased return each year to enjoy, for a few brief hours, the pleasures they once knew in life.  Today, this celebration combines Native American and European customs and is primarily practiced among Hispanic, Mestizo and indigenous peoples from the American Southwest to South America.

After a two year hiatus, Gregorio Pedroza, PhD, will share the experiences of growing up in a barrio in Texas in a large extended family.  The animated storytelling that has endeared him to the Corning and Elmira community will bring the rich tradition of this celebration to life. 

According to Cindy Weakland, Director of Public Programs & Visitor Services, “Gregorio effortlessly blends English and Spanish as he tells the stories of his youth and opens the door into the cultural traditions of El Dia de los Muertos celebration.  Audiences enjoy learning about diverse cultural history and celebrations through the art of storytelling and Gregorio’s stories paint a vivid picture of this colorful tradition.”

Following the Pedroza session, participants will enjoy refreshments traditional to the holiday and will be guided through a hands-on art activity.  The activity will involve creating objects that would ordinarily be featured on El Dia de los Muertos altar.  The projects created by participants will be displayed in the Museum’s Admissions Gallery.  In addition, the Museum’s Education Department is in its sixth year of partnering with area schools and Spanish teachers in a special program.  During the months of October and November, Spanish students create decorative objects for El Dia de los Muertos altar installed in the Museum’s Education Gallery.

In general, an altar like that featured in the Museum’s exhibit would be built in a family’s home and would be an integral part of the celebration.  A typical altar has candles and favorite foods of the deceased.  People might also place meaningful, personal objects on the altar that belonged to the deceased.  Other items found on the altars are cempasuchils or marigolds (the floral symbol of death), paper maché pieces, images of saints, sugar skulls, and Pan de los Muertos (Bread of the Dead).  Calaveras or skeletons are widely associated with Day of the Dead and their images are common during this time of year.  These paper maché or clay skeletons are often displayed doing daily activities in order to demonstrate the wit and humor of the deceased; their liveliness also reminds us of the longevity of the soul.

About Gregorio Pedroza:
Gregorio C. Pedroza, PhD is an active member of the Southern Tier Writers Guild, Binghamton, NY; the Write Now Writers Group, Candor, NY; the Oneonta Storytellers Center, Oneonta, NY; the Susquehanna Storyteller, Binghamton, NY; the Salt Lake City Storytellers, Syracuse, NY; the San Antonio Storytellers Association, TX; the National Storytellers Membership Association; The Tejas Storytelling Association; the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, San Antonio, TX; the VASA Storytellers, Virginia; and served on the Board of Directors for Literacy Volunteers, NY.  He is also a member of the BOCES Arts-in-Education program.

About the Rockwell Museum of Western Art
Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art is located in the center of the Finger Lakes Wine Country of New York Sate and in the heart of Corning’s Gaffer District.  The Museum is open to the public seven days a week; For more information, please visit us online at : www.rockwellmuseum.org