 "Photo: Ken Muir")
The Texas Tech and Lubbock community crowded the International Cultural Center on Friday to view art that celebrated Dia de los Muertos.
The holiday, also known as the Day of the Dead, is a day to celebrate dead friends, relatives and even pets.
The ICC celebrated by displaying art and providing food for the community to enjoy.
“There was an exhibit called ‘Celebración,’ and it is an annual group exhibit by artists from across the United States,” said Jane Bell, director of the International Cultural Center. “It is traditionally held at the Buddy Holly Center, but because the center is closed this year due to renovations, we gave it a home here at the cultural center.”
Momentum was not lost due to change of venue, she said, because it was a popular and crowded event.
“Each year the artists and musicians are different,” Bell said, “but the idea behind Dia de los Muertos remains constant.”
Bell walked from piece to piece, talking about some of her favorites, which included “Catrina 2009” by Randy Hall, “Dead (fill in the blank)” by Ginny Mahan, “Constellation” by Sang Mi Yoo and “Elegy for 16 Ming Concubines” by Yvonne Armitage Greene.
Bell said “Elegy for 16 Ming Concubines” did not mean much to her until she heard the story behind the piece that displays vivid colors of a grave site with 16 skulls and two Japanese women spirits.
The artist learned of the story while visiting her daughter in Japan. The two walked past the grave site and the artist felt compelled to paint the delicate grave, she said, even after learning the main emperor at the time demanded his 16 favorite concubines enter the grave with him when he died and be buried alive.
Bell said a piece she found to be fun and festive was “Dead (fill in the blank),” which was a Scrabble game board with words glued to the board. The board was inspired by the occasion Dia de los Muertos and had words such as, wrong, sea, heat, beat, meat, end and Day of the Dead.
Ginny Mahan, artist of the Scrabble piece and professor of psychology at South Plains College, said she did a Monopoly piece last year and will continue to do a series of game pieces.
She had two collaborative pieces with Dan English, artist and associate professor at South Plains College. The pieces were “Cocina de Catrina,” which was two photos of a skeleton with a skeleton apron on cooking angel food cake, and “Dead C scroll,” which was an open scroll with a skeleton in the center.
English and Mahan celebrated the event by painting their faces to look like skeletons. English said it was Mahan’s idea to dress for the occasion.
“We went to something at Tech Thursday night that was a dia celebration, and a lot of people were dressed up to celebrate,” Mahan said. “We have seen people at these events made up before, so we just decided to do it.”
Elle Bettes from Amarillo said she thought the exhibit was great, and was happy to see the community celebrate Dia de los Muertos.
“My children are partially Hispanic, and their father died while I was pregnant,” Bettes said. “So to help me get through that, I celebrate his culture. I have a really big spot in my heart for this holiday.”
She said her favorite artist is Frida Kahlo, who painted using bright colors in a style that was influenced by cultures of Mexico, and many of her pieces are self portraits that portray her own pain.
“There was a tribute to Kahlo and it made this exhibit worth it for me to come,” Bettes said.
She said it was amazing to see so many people celebrate this holiday in Lubbock.
“In America we’re supposed to be a melting pot of cultures and we’re not,” she said “So, to celebrate this holiday is absolutely amazing. In other cultures, this day is important and is a part of who people are. I think it should be more widely celebrated in the United States.”
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