Ofrendas Comunitarias: Muertos y Marigolds opened Friday, October 8 at 5 p.m. at Gutiérrez Hubbell House History & Cultural Center. The exhibit brought together over a dozen artists, community members, local organizations, and schools to remember our dead and share in mourning and celebration of our community and loved ones through the creation of altars, a central part of the celebration of Day of the Dead.
The exhibit featured altars honoring people and causes important to South Valley residents and organized around the Muertos y Marigolds 2021 theme of “Recordando nuestros fallecidos de la pandemia y la violencia del estado capitalista: Unity is the heart of CommUnity”. Drawing on those ideas, altars honored family members, community leaders and activists, and our shared and individual losses from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Altars featured traditional elements of the offerings made on Día de los Muertos, a tradition originating in Indigenous communities of central Mexico, which then spread and became an important Mexican observance, throughout the country and diaspora. Today, Día de los Muertos is celebrated widely across Mexico, Central America, and in diasporic and descendent communities worldwide, on Nov. 1-2. Altars included objects such as framed photos, cempasúchil or marigold flowers, sugar skulls, water, candles, offerings of favorite foods and beverages, incense, papel picado, and special treats like pan de muertos. Each element brings both symbolic and personal significance.
Ofrendas Comunitarias was conceived and co-curated with the Muertos y Marigolds South Valley Día de los Muertos Celebration committee. Muertos y Marigolds was first introduced in 1993 by Sandra and Jorge Rodriguez with the intent of building community in the South Valley by reintroducing and honoring the Día de los Muertos holiday practices that had been obscured in New Mexico over the centuries. Beginning as a small neighborhood procession, then adding arts workshops to enrich the understanding of the event, the Marigold Parade and Celebration became a longstanding tradition in the South Valley of Albuquerque. A non-corporate and non-politicking community, Muertos y Marigolds maintains its mission of being a grassroots organization that hosts an event for the people, by the people.
The Marigold Parade and Celebration was first hosted by the Raramuri Center before finding a home at the West Side Community Center, where it was housed for nearly two decades. After the 2018 Parade, the committee postponed the celebration to regroup and re-focus their efforts on programming to educate and engage the public in the traditional arts and practices celebrating Day of the Dead. In 2021 the committee partnered with Gutiérrez Hubbell House and other community centers and organizations to create the exhibit Ofrendas Comunitarias as part of their renewed vision for the event.
The exhibit was on display from Friday, October 8 – Saturday, November 13, 2021 during museum open hours, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Thursday – Saturday.
See bernco.gov/OfrendasComunitarias for program reservations and current information on museum access. Due to COVID-19, the museum encourages advance ticketing for all tours. Guided tours may not be available for drop-in visitors, although visitors may visit the exhibits without a guide during any open hours. Admission and programs are FREE.
PROGRAMS
Exhibit Opening
Friday, October 8 • 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Meet the people who created the altars and speak with community organizers, artists, and leaders. Enjoy a reception hosted by the Gutiérrez Hubbell House Alliance with refreshments and activities for children.
No registration required for this outdoor reception.
Writing and Reflection Workshop
Saturday, October 30 • 10 a.m. – Noon
Bring your journal or something to write on as we spend a morning reflecting on memories and lives lost in the Covid-19 pandemic and other losses this year. We will provide guided walking and sitting meditations, writing prompts, and drawing prompts to support your reflections and expressions. We’ll wrap up the morning with the opportunity to share and hear from each other.
Closing Day: Curator-Led Tours
Saturday, November 6 • 10 a.m.
Hear from the organizers of the exhibit and annual South Valley Día de los Muertos celebration on the last day to view the exhibit.