For many in Latin American cultures, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a time to celebrate our ancestors through contemporary religious and indigenous, pre-Columbian imagery. The ofrenda (altar) is the center of that celebration and is made vibrant with the visual symbolism of cempasúchil (marigold) flowers, calaveras (skulls), foods, photographs, and more. Building the ofrenda is a communal and familial practice that allows the lives of our ancestors to be retold and remembered.

Join SVMoA for an interactive ofrenda-building workshop led by Fonda Portales, a Mesoamerican art historian and the Director of University Art at Boise State University. She will guide us through the elements represented in Aztec history as we build a communal altar together and place our photographs there. All are welcome.

Participants are encouraged to bring a small item and photograph that represents a deceased loved one to include on the workshop altar.