Scattered along the front wall of 21c, the museum hotel in downtown Louisville, are vibrant splashes of butterflies and small hand statues, each holding a candle to remember the immigrants who lost their lives attempting to cross the border.
It is a scene from a celebration in early November, known as the Day of the Dead, or El Día de los Muertos.
A tradition that started in Mexico, the Day of the Dead incorporates several indigenous rituals and Catholic customs, and has since become a holiday to celebrate the lives of those that have passed away. Altars are typically constructed as part of the celebration, and feature flowers, photos, candles and food, as a gesture of respect to deceased friends and family.
Across the street from 21c, at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, the festival was buzzing with activity. Upon first entering the museum, visitors were greeted with Spanish folk music and the aroma of Mexican cuisine. On the second and third floors, there were workshops where children created sugar skulls and tissue flowers, all happening in the midst of local art and handcrafted altars.
Karen Welch, director of public programming at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, dressed as Frida Kahlo for the event, as part of the museum’s costume contest.
“The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft grew from simply celebrating the Day of the Dead, to include a wider range of community outreach,” said Welch. “We draw in new faces through the workshops and activities provided, as well as the cultural art on display.”
Dr. Rhonda Buchanan, director of Latin American and Latino studies at the University of Louisville, helped to organize volunteers to build an altar for the event.
“We were fortunate to have so much assistance from students, faculty, staff and community members in constructing our altar,” said Buchanan, referring to the Yuma 14 display at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. “The energy was so electric that you could feel the shock waves throughout the museum.”
Brittny Schadler, a junior biology and Spanish major at U of L, got involved with El Día de los Muertos through the Bonner Leaders program, an organization that unites students through civic engagement and service.
“I was invited by Dr. Buchanan to help the Latin American studies students create an altar dedicated to the Yuma 14,” said Schadler. “Many other altars have only one subject of dedication, but this honors a whole group of fallen individuals.”
The Yuma 14 altar is a reference to the incident when 14 men perished while crossing the Mexican border into the Arizona desert. Their journey, chronicled in the novel “The Devil’s Highway,” by Luis Alberto Urrea, was a 2004 National Bestseller and was this year’s Book-in-Common for the First Year Initiatives program.
U of L associate professor of Spanish, Manuel Medina, organized the ninth annual Día de los Muertos altar contest in the Ekstrom Library lobby. He explained how the event first arrived on campus.
“Students in the Spanish department were given the chance to create altars in honor of the victims of the World Trade Center attacks on September 11,” said Medina. “And the event really grew from there. It was a great way to put the celebration into context for students, and for them to learn the history behind the festival.”
Medina also helped arrange altar exhibits in businesses of the Latino community. To stay true to the tradition of the Day of the Dead, which occurred on Nov. 2, the local displays, including the altars in the Ekstrom Library, ended on Nov. 3.
“Our goal in doing this was to try and preserve the authenticity of El Día do los Muertos, and maintain the cultural aspect,” said Medina. “The downtown locations do a great job, though, in reaching out to those that aren’t familiar with the tradition.”
The exhibits downtown took more of a mainstream approach to the holiday, extending the Day of the Dead festivities until Nov. 6, to raise public awareness. In contrast, the traditional celebration was carried out by the Latino community, by those who may have had more of a cultural connection to the event.
Various other downtown locations took part in the Day of the Dead. The Muhammad Ali Center dedicated an altar to Michael Jackson, while the Louisville Science Center created their altar in honor of Galileo.
The downtown altars were exhibited from Oct. 30 to Nov. 6, and were accessible through the First Friday Trolley Hop.
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