El Día de los Muertos at the Smithsonian
El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican and Central American tradition that honors the memory of the dead and welcomes the return of their spirits in early November.
Rooted in Spanish Catholic customs, the Day of the Dead is known for the offerings (ofrendas) left out for the spirits of the loved ones each household or community calls back to the realm of the living. All four elements—water, wind, fire, and earth—are traditionally represented: water in a clay pitcher or glass, lit candles, tissue paper cut-outs (papel picado) that catch in the wind, and food to represent earth, which is customarily pan de muerto, or the bread of the dead. Elaborately decorated sugar skulls known as calaveras are common altar decorations as well, and celebrators often dress as skeletons.
Across the Smithsonian, our colleagues are observing the holiday in myriad ways.
The Day of the Dead celebrations at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, CA are known world-wide for their elaborate family altars, live performances leading up to the actual day and the large crowds that come to celebrate this significant cultural tradition. (Courtesy Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Latino)
The National Museum of the American Latino has put together virtual exhibitions that explore, among other things, the history of the holiday, the meaning of traditional altars, and how the Day of the Dead is being celebrated in Uvalde, where the community created 21 portrait murals in memory of the children killed at an elementary school mass shooting in 2022. The collection is an excellent example of the digital programming that precedes the museum itself, and I would encourage all of you to explore the exhibitions.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum hosted live performances this Saturday, including traditional Mexican folk dance, a mariachi performance, and a showcase of Latin American music. The event was complete with face painting, themed crafts, and a scavenger hunt for visitors of all ages within the Many Wests: Artists Shape and American Idea exhibition.
Angel Rodríguez-Díaz, The Protagonist of an Endless Story, 1993, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible in part by the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool and the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1996.19. © 1993, Angel Rodriguez-Diaz. On view in the exhibition “Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea” at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
On Sunday, the National Museum of the American Indian put on a celebration for the whole family—both the living and dead—to come together. Collaborative programming with the National Museum of the American Latino included an opportunity to create a paper marigold to adorn the iconic skeleton known as La Catrina; a memorial arch invited visitors to write the name of a deceased loved one on a paper butterfly affixed to the arch; and traditional dance performances that spoke to the duality of life and death punctuated the event.
The National Portrait Gallery will host one of their biggest events of the year on Thursday, November 2: El Día de los Muertos Festival. Visitors are invited to make calaveras and papel picado to be placed on a community altar in Kogod Courtyard. The night will include live music and dance performances from Mariachi Imperio and DC Folklórico Dance Company, a face painting service, and a selection of Mexican food and drinks for purchase from the Portrait Gallery’s in-house café.
Performer at the 2022 Day of the Dead Festival at the National Portrait Gallery. Photo by Ada Hinton
The final component of the evening will be a live video mapping performance projected onto the museum’s exterior. The two artists— MasPaz and Guache—do with digital artworks what a DJ does with music. The massive projection layers their original artworks on top of one another: shifting images of classic Día de los Muertos iconography, geometric shapes, and words change in sync with music. The piece is titled La Común Unidad: Caminando con los Ancestros, which translates to “Common Unity: Walking with the Ancestors” and is a play on words with community, or in this case, communidad.
The National Portrait Gallery launched its Día de los Muertos celebration back in 2015, when a few hundred people attended. It has since grown to attract thousands. I encourage those of you in the D.C. area to come to this year’s festival and partake in what’s become a cherished Smithsonian tradition.
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Posted: 31 October 2023
