October 26, 2006 through January 15, 2007

For the past seven years, the ASU Museum of Anthropology has hosted an annual Día de Los Muertos (or Day of the Dead) Festival Exhibit. For this year’s exhibit, Transcending Borders, altars will be created to represent the notion of ‘borders’ -- borders between living and dead, neighboring countries, cultures and generations. The exhibit will occupy two galleries: one for traditional altars and the other for more contemporary pieces. Altars can be made using any type of object and we encourage the use of audio and visual technologies for contemporary altars.

Transcending Borders will bring together Chicana/o artists, people from the community and students in the creation of highly inventive and elaborate altarpieces. The subject-matter and design of each altar is entirely the choice of its creator. In the past, these altars have reflected a broad array of individual styles, personal meanings, and socially shared concerns.

The 7th Annual Día de los Muertos Festival Exhibit is a joint collaboration between the ASU Museum of Anthropology, the ASU Chicana/o Studies Department, the Calaca Cultural Center and the community.

Transcending Borders Events
October 12, 2006 4 - 6 p.m.
Film viewing and discussion with Filmmaker Penelope Price
Artist of Resistance

Transcending Borders Exhibit Photos

From the exhibition:

Death is a border that everyone will cross; there are no rules or regulations to prevent it from happening.

The unique ancestral tradition of Día de los Muertos dates back more than 3,000 years ago in Mexico and Central Latin America. It was a month-long celebration that acknowledged and respected the duality of life and death. Today the holiday is infused with both indigenous and Catholic beliefs and is a two-day invitation for the dead to visit the living.

This tradition provides a way to acknowledge grievances and to celebrate lives through the creation of altars, decoration of gravesites and gathering of loved ones. Dedications can be in the form of food, music, dance, prayer, art and remembrances. The holiday is a time to grieve, rejoice and honor death as a part of life. The Aztecs believed that “to live is to dream and to die is to awaken” viewing death as “a transition, a progression and even as the ultimate experience in life” (Judy King).

A Note from the Curator

Transcending Borders touches on the notion of borders in both the physical and theoretical application of the term. Artists highlighted in this exhibit truly captured the spirit of the theme by interpreting ‘border’ in various ways – from borders between countries and cultures, to boundaries between sexes, religions, political views and art genres; this exhibit encompasses them all.

The inclusion of innovative and sometimes challenging pieces is intended to provide cross-cultural exchanges and a dialog with you, the visitor. Art is a way to express emotions and viewpoints that may otherwise be incommunicable. The Day of the Dead also offers a way to get at the complex nature of art by invoking powerful emotions, solemnity and celebration together.

The Artists

Marco Albarran | Kjellgren Alkire | Fernando Cruz | Reuben Galicia | John Leanos | Pablo Luna | Ruben Maqueda | Michelle Martinez | Cynthia Moreno-Krumrey | Carlos Navarrete | Juan Olalde | Chloe Palmer | Janette Reyes-Heath | Deborah Silvis | Rosie Villegas-Smith | Sandra Yagi | Trish JusTrish | Gabriela Carrillo | Coty Dolores-Miranda | Sara Eto | Cynthia Gonzalez | Emma Gonzalez | Carmen Guerrero | Mary & Caroline Kinsley | Moises Salcedo | Yvonne Villareal-Torres| Caesar Chavez High School AP Spanish Class | Sherry Tierney | Layla Luna | Professor Mark Newport’s 3-D Fibers Class | Ashley Lounsbury | Brenda Aguirre | Richard Breuninger | Ryan Miller | Sarah King | Courtney Bowdall | Nathan Bernacet | Silvia Rodriguez | James Soto | John Leanos’ class | Melissa Larios | Humberto Rosales | Michael Comroe | Maria Del Toral

Images from left to right:
3D Fibers Class
Reuben Galicia
Erica Flores
Cynthia Gonzalez
3D Fibers Class