ALTAR DE MUERTOS
Exhibit pays tribute to artist Frida Kahlo
CALEXICO — The Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center here celebrated the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead by hosting an Altar de Muertos, or Altar of the Dead, exhibit, which debuted Tuesday and ends today.
The colorful and vibrant exhibit takes up a majority of the Art Center’s dance floor area, and was created to honor of the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who was considered one of Mexico’s greatest artists and passed away at the age of 47 in July 1954.
The idea for the altar was a collaborative effort between the Arts Center and the Casa Cultura in Mexicali.
Casas Cultura director Carmela Espinoza held two workshops in October at the Arts Center that showed participants how to create papel picado, or perforated paper, and paper flowers, which were placed throughout Kahlo’s altar.
Workshop participants were given the opportunity to take home some of their creations and to donate some to be used for the altar.
“The idea was to use what was created during the workshops to create the altar,” Calexico’s Community Services Director Sandra Tauler said. “It was a combination of activities that culminated into the altar.”
The altar honoring Kahlo is part of a longstanding Mexican tradition, Tauler said.
“It’s a Mexican tradition where you honor a loved one with an altar,” Tauler said. “In our case, we did famous artist Frida Kaldo. Traditionally, you put a picture of the person you’re honoring and then you put one of their favorite foods and you put some of their clothing.”
Altar de Muertos are often created in Mexican households as part of the Day of the Day celebration, which began on Wednesday and ends on Friday, as a way to honor family members or loved ones who have passed on.
Kahlo’s altar features many of the traditional Altar de Muertos elements, including a statue of a black dog, a set of coins, a line of candles, a dish of salt and a glass of water, among other objects.
The black dog is placed at the beginning of the altar and is meant to guide the soul of the deceased so that it finds its way back to earthly life, a pamphlet at the exhibit stated.
Behind the black dog is a line of candles and flowers, which are suppose to help light the way and create a path for the dog.
Perhaps the most eye-catching detail of Kahlo’s altar is the locally made papel picado that hangs from the ceiling.
Holtville resident Dolores Provencio, who was one of the many workshop participants, attended the altar’s opening reception on Tuesday and was pleased to see her creations used throughout the altar.
“I think it really is beautiful, and it’s such a joy to see the handiwork of my fellow classmates,” Provencio said. “I know there are a lot of fans of Frida Kahlo everywhere, so I’m not surprised they selected her to be honored. It just really made the project more exciting when they told us that’s what they were ultimately going to make.”