Altars / ofrendas will be displayed at the annual Día de los Muertos celebration at the Snowdrift Art Space in Winslow. Photo by Frank X. Moraga / AmigosNAZ ©2014
Other events scheduled from Oct. 30 through Nov. 2
WINSLOW — Snowdrift Art Space, Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces, the Winslow Arts Trust and the Winslow Chamber of Commerce will present a Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration from 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 at 120 W. Second St., downtown Winslow, organizers reported in a media release.
“Join us … for this family tradition that honors departed loved ones in a festival setting. (Please be advised that this is not a Halloween-related event),” organizers reported.
Día de los Muertos is celebrated throughout Latin America and the Southwestern United States from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2, when families celebrate and remember their departed ancestors and loved ones by placing ofrendas (offerings) at graves and altars. They also pray, dance, sing, and share memories of the departed, who are thought to briefly visit the earth at this time each year to make sure that all is well and that they have not been forgotten.
On Thursday, Oct. 30, Elena Díaz Björkquist will present Día de los Muertos: A Celebration of Life and Death at 6:30 pm at La Posada Hotel, 303 E. Second St., Winslow. Based in Tucson, author and artist Björkquist also serves as a research affiliate at the University of Arizona. In this plática, (informal talk), she will explore the holiday’s origins and traditional elements including foods, folk crafts, and altars.
On Friday, Oct. 31, Snowdrift will be open from 6 to 8 p.m. so that members of the public can set up individuals altars for departed family and friends. Ofrendas on the altars may include flowers, candles, incense, sugar skulls, and statues of saints as well as pictures, personal items, and favorite dishes of the departed. The process of creating an ofrenda can often help transform grief into acceptance, organizers reported.
On Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 1 and 2, El Gran Garage, 422 E. Second St., will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. so the public can view works by artists Wall Batterton, Laura Hipke, Dan Lutzick, Bruce Richards, Eddie Ruscha, John Scane, Scott Siedman, Rebecca Gray Smith and Sandra Yagi. Richards presents paintings from the series Millennium Calaveras, representations of the sugar confectionery or chocolate skulls used to celebrate Día de los Muertos in Mexico. Smith’s exceptional series, The Alphabet, is a suite of 28 etchings created over a 25-year period that examine premature death in the modern world.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, Snowdrift will be open from 10 a.m. to noon for final altar preparations. The public event begins at 1 p.m. and Nuestras Raíces will host a Sugar Skull Workshop, and attendees can also decorate skull masks throughout the day. Paper mache “sugar” skulls created for the event by Christa Knox’s Winslow Middle School students will also be on display.
From 7 to 8 p.m., the Winslow Ballet Folklorico will perform, followed immediately by a traditional Día de los Muertos procession from Snowdrift to the Winslow Visitors Center/Hubbell Trading Post along the First Street Pathway. The procession will conclude at the Hubbell with the burning of an urn filled with prayers for the departed that event attendees have added along the way.
For more information, contact Ann-Mary Lutzick at 928-289-8201 or annmaryj@yahoo.com. Support for this event has been provided by the Snowdrift Art Space, the Winslow Arts Trust, the Winslow Chamber of Commerce, and Flagstaff Nuestras Raíces, which is dedicated to promoting Hispanic culture and history through events, gatherings, and the performing and visual arts. Björkquist’s presentation is made possible in part by a grant from Arizona Humanities.
About Snowdrift Art Space
Go to www.snowdriftart.com and find us on Facebook for more information.
Snowdrift Art Space is a gallery/studio/loft/event space that features the work of sculptor Daniel Lutzick. Free, guided tours of Snowdrift for individuals or groups are available by appointment only. Please make a reservation at least 24 hours in advance by calling 928-289-8201 or 928-587-8934. Snowdrift also hosts several community events each year, including the Material Girls Quilt Show and Día de los Muertos.
Snowdrift Art Space is located on Historic Route 66 in the heart of downtown Winslow, Arizona. There is free parking on the street and in the parking lot directly across from the main entrance. The main exhibition space and public restroom are wheelchair-accessible. Photography and videotaping are allowed in the main exhibition space.