The Torch

Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: Arts

Prepared by Jud Turner in honor of his friend Jordan Ferraro, it was built using items symbolic to Ferraro's life as well as personal items the two shared. Items include a skateboard the friends had ridden together, beads they had made to represent their connection in art and a Buddhist medallion to represent Ferraros' peaceful nature. Photos by JB BOTWINICK/The Torch

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osio Diez prepared this traditional Día de los Muertos altar for her l0ved ones. The dedication read: "This altar is dedicated with love to my mother Basiliza and my brother Rigoberto." Photos by JB BOTWINICK/The Torch

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Skulls and bones are present in every corner of the room. Altars welcoming spirits of those long passed on haunt the hallways. Death is the theme of the day. Yet no one could be happier. In the Hispanic tradition, the Day of the Dead is not a time for mourning and sorrow. Rather, it is a joyous celebration honoring the memory of loved ones who've passed on.

Maude Kerns Art Gallery is helping to spread knowledge about this holiday by hosting its 15th annual Día de los Muertos exhibit.

"In the Hispanic community, it's a beloved holiday," Susan Dearborn Jackson, curator of the exhibit, said.

Día de los Muertos is traditionally on Nov. 2, with celebrations beginning in the few days preceding to honor the dead in a more lighthearted manner than what is traditionally accepted in Western culture.

"If there isn't some joy in there, then it's not quite Día de los Muertos," Dena Brown, exhibit coordinator, said.

The celebration usually includes a giant feast, music, and dancing. In Hispanic communities it usually brings families together, serving a similar function as the Thanksgiving holiday in Western tradition.

In a sense, the celebration also brings living and dead family members together. This is represented though the preparation of altars, which are believed to welcome the souls of past friends and family.

"Day of the Dead is really about honoring the ancestors," Jackson explained. "All the altars have an arch, a glass of water, fruits, flowers and things the ancestor liked."

The exhibit at Maude Kerns has six altars honoring parents, farm workers and even children.

Another common theme depicted in the exhibit, calacas, are skeleton figurines costumed in various manners. Calacas are commonly used for decoration during Día de los Muertos and pop up all over the exhibit, whether they are shown in paintings, three-dimensional sculptures or even on the altars.

"Calacas represent two things," Jackson said. "No matter what we do in this life, we all end up as skeletons, but it also represents that we get to do in the afterlife what we enjoyed doing in this life."

"They're joyous dancing creatures," Brown said.

Maude Kerns' exhibit has not only enlightened people in Eugene about this lesser-known holiday, but also prompted people to adopt the holiday into their own family tradition.

"People come up and thank me because of everything they learned about this custom and how it's affected them," Jackson said. "A lot of people in Eugene, both in the Anglo and Hispanic community, make altars now."

The exhibit runs through Nov. 7 and features paintings, sculptures, and other artwork inspired by Día de los Muertos. It features artists from Eugene and around the country.

"Come and see the exhibit," Brown said. "It isn't all graves and depressing themes. It's quite the opposite."

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