Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Altars Now on View at the Palm Springs Art Museum(Palm Springs, CA) – Altars honoring the deceased are now on display at the Palm Springs Art Museum as part of a week-long line up of events leading up to the annual Day of the Dead celebration this Saturday, November 1, 2008. The altars were constructed by various community members and artists and represent loved ones or famous artistic icons that have passed away. Attendees of the museum can visit these ofrendas (altars) throughout the museum all week and see traditional and contemporary interpretations of this Day of the Dead ritual.
The altars were created by:
Palm Spring Art Museum’s Artists Council – in honor of Salvador Dali; located in the Elrod Sculpture
GardenCulturas – in honor of our ancestors and loved ones; located in the Marcuse Sculpture Garden
The Date Farmers (artists Armando Lerma and Carlos Ramírez) – in honor of Native Americans; located in the Steve Chase Wing
Nyrza González – an elaborate traditional ofrenda with text explaining the seven levels of the altar; located in the Elrod Sculpture Garden
Latino Books y Más – in honor of Tonía Bustamante-Ramírez; located in the Hibbert Orientation Center
Luis Rodríguez – in honor of Life, Death and Rebirth; located in the Jorgensen Gallery
Palm Springs Art Museum staff – in honor of Frida Kahlo; located in the Marks Graphics Center
St. Theresa School Spanish Club – in honor of Stephano Mazzotti and Dennis Schwartz; located in the Houston Atrium
Palm Spring Art Museum Teen Art Group – in honor of specific individuals important to each member of the group; located in Zone 101 in the Hoover Gallery
O’Jay Vanegas (pictured above) -in honor of all artists, musicians, dancers, poets and romantics; located in the Houston Atrium
There will be a community altar on the museum’s front steps on Saturday, November 1 and the public is invited to leave a memento at this location.Throughout the week the museum will observe Day of the Dead with a wide variety of events, including a traditional art making day on Tuesday, October 28, Altar making for families on Thursday October 30 and a day of events of Saturday, November 1.
The Art Museum is open six days a week; Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free to members; $12.50 for adults; $10.50 for seniors 62 and over; $5 for adult students and active-duty military with I.D. and free for youths 17 and under. For more information, call 760.322.4800 or visit
www.psmuseum.org.