“Celebrating Day of the Dead” at the Figge

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Day of the Dead celebration at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, IA.
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Once again the FIGGE Art Museum in partnership with Hola America/Hola Iowa and LULAC QC,  would like to invite you to the annual Day of the Dead Family Fiesta Celebration at the FIGGE Art Museum in Davenport on Sunday October 27 from Noon to 5 PM. And to the exhibit Day of the Dead: The Art of Remembrance  now open in the Museum’s second-floor Mary Waterman Gildehaus Community Gallery.

 

Day of the Dead Family Fiesta

Sunday October 27 from Noon to 5 PM, Admission is FREE! 

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Despite of its name, The Day of the Dead, a traditional Mexican holiday, is an occasion celebrated with great joy, laughter, music and dance. This is the day to remember the lives of the dearly departed.

 

Come out to The FIGGE to celebrate the rich cultural traditions of El Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) through art projects, live performances, music and food. You don’t have an excuse for missing this event because museum admission will be free on that day.

“Day of the Dead has become a treasured tradition at the Figge Art Museum for over a decade.  This rich cultural celebration reaches across barriers of gender, race and socioeconomic backgrounds to embrace and express the universal human truths of life, death, love, loss and personal expression.” Heather Aaronson, Education Programs Coordinator, Figge Art Museum.

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There will be plenty of activities for children and the whole family.

“Hola America has the honor of being part of the committee that organizes this event every year and together with other organizations and volunteers it has become bigger,” commented Erika Macias from Hola América and Hola Iowa “being able to see the children enjoying the variety of workshops is pretty exciting for me because they can learn how to decorate a sugar skull or how to paint a small catrina. “she added.

Families can see how traditional Calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls) are made, and then decorate one to take home. Kids and their parents can create a calavera out of clay or make a pop-up Day of the Dead scene, make a marigold or butterfly to leave in memory at the community altar, or to take home to enjoy.

And of course, you can have your face painted to look like a Catrina or Calavera. You can also walk through the FIGGE’s and view the larger than life Catrinas on display.

LULAC Youth Council in Davenport will set up the community Day of the Dead altar at the lobby where members of the community are more than welcome to bring pictures of those loved ones that are no longer around to place on the altar.

The program will have performances by members of the Quad Cities Ballet Folklorico, the Glenview Mariachi Band, and others. After the program there will be authentic Mexican food to sample.

The Family Fiesta is made possible every year with the financial support of Ascentra Credit Union and West Gateway Partners, L.L.C.

Day of the Dead: The Art of Remembrance

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Open now until December 8

The Figge Art Museum’s second-floor Mary Waterman Gildehaus Community Gallery will feature Day of the Dead: The Art of Remembrance beginning Saturday. 

Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican holiday, but what makes it so special and why is it taking on new meaning and proportion in the United States and beyond? This installation will explore those questions and how we celebrate and remember the lives of our lost loved ones through the collective traditions, art-making and storytelling that are integral parts of Dia de los Muertos. 

Day of the Dead: The Art of Remembrance includes a traditional altar, cemetery, market and many Catrinas – an elegantly dressed female skeleton figure that serves as a symbol of Day of the Dead. Bilingual exhibition labels with Spanish translations provided by Hola America will be used throughout the exhibition. The Figge’s Studio 1 hands-on space will allow visitors to create fantastic mythical creatures called alebrijes and decorate marigolds and butterflies in memory of lost loved ones to be displayed on the altar in the exhibition. 

Day of the Dead: The Art of Remembrance is sponsored by MidAmerican Energy. The public is invited to participate in the exhibition by sharing their stories or images of their loved ones by emailing [email protected]

Companion Programming: 

Open House and Maker Session

Thursday, October 10

4 p.m. Happy hour menu / cash bar

5:30 p.m. Introduction and short film

6:30 p.m. Maker Session 

Stop in to celebrate the opening of the Day of the Dead: The Art of Remembrance. See a short film about the holiday and learn how to make the iconic sugar skulls that will be used for the Family Fiesta on October 27 at the Figge. 

Sponsored by River Cities’ Reader

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