Translated, the title is "A great weekend for art," but really that is *any* weekend. October 29th and 30th however, was truly great. The Pantéon de Sacramento was a huge success, with over 24 hours of art, altars, musica, velas, flores, offering breads and treats, fotos, poemas, loved ones here and gone, old friends and new connections. The event, hosted by La Raza Galeria Posada and organized with mucho dedication by Program Coordinator Robertó Lopez and Directora artística y ejecutiva Marie Acosta, took place in the heart of Midtown: a large lot on 20th between J and K Streets.
About 50 altars occupied spaces throughout the lot - all very different but with the same message: to honor those who had passed, cats, dogs, grandparents, friends, children, relatives. To lighten the sadness and remind us to celebrate the life of those we love, there were Aztec dancers, Mexican poets and singers, a DJ spinning a variety of classics and new sounds and many, many attendees.
My altar, Pesca de Aguacate, honored Catherine Saum (1968-2007): friend, kindred spirit, artist. In addition to teaching me many creative techniques for living, Cath taught me how to "fish" for avocados from her three-story high tree in Southern California.
Also included in my altar is a painting of Greta, my Doberman of 12 years. I feel fortunate to have shared my bittersweet, vibrant memories with the world as part of the Pantéon de Sacramento.
Painting the Calavera - spooky!Mi fin de semana fue muy buena - my weekend was very good, con arte y cultura latina todos donde yo era - with art and Latin culture every where I went. It sounds ironic but Sacramento comes to life the month of dia de los muertos, with sugar skull workshops in the streets, marigold-making classes and plenty of free, fun events to attend and participate no matter what your creative level may be.
Meistro extraordinaire Rhett NealI attended a wonderful, 2-day workshop in making Calaveras - paper maché skulls and figures to honor the dead - at Brickhouse Gallery in Oak Park. Taught by talented artist Rhett Neal, the workshop went by quickly, with instruction on layering newspaper over an armature, adding strips with wallpaper paste, sealing with primer and - the best part - painting and decorating!
Perrito Calavera - with collar and tongueOur group made a nice variety, from cats to Caterinas, and rivaled the Calaveras featured in the current show at Brickhouse - Altars del Mundo, the gallery's 18th annual altar show, which runs through October 30th.
The night lights of Frida on stage - eerie and beautiful
Also this weekend I caught the held over performance of Frida Kahlo, presented by Teatro Espejo and Teatro Nagual at Wilkerson Theater/California Stage. Despite the tiny venue being muy calor inside, the performance was fantastic, the small space transformed to take the audience through the life of this beloved Mexican painter, her husband Diego Rivera and the demonios metiche they dealt with in their life, both together and apart.
I have the amazing opportunity to create a Dia de los Muertos altar with one of my favorite Midtown galleries the weekend of October 29th and 30th. La Raza Galerie Posada is hosting Panteon de Sacramento (A Mexican Tradition Revisited). For 2 days the parking lot behind ClickNation on 20th between J and K Streets, will be filled with altars honoring those who have passed from this earth. The event is free and open to the public to view.
My altar will honor my beloved friend Catherine S., who taught me about arte, vida, y pescar de aguacate, as well as mi tio, Wesley "Rob" y mi abuela, Elizabeth "Bambi." I am thrilled to be gathering items, printing photos, sketching a layout for my altar, meeting other artists in the show and being a part of this wonderful event. Gracias, La Raza for making this possible in Sacramento. I know it's going to be a fantastic show filled with inspiring pieces honoring los muertos.
