Festival Del Dia De Los Muertos

A reminder to local folk that today the Living Arts and Science Center (362 North Martin Luther King Boulevard, Lexington) holds their Festival Del Dia De Los Muertos from 5 – 9 pm. They will have hands-on craft activities for the young folk, with traditional music, dance, and food for the whole family. The celebration will culminate in a candlelight parade to the Old Episcopal Burying Ground at the corner of Third Street and Elm Tree Lane for a viewing of an installation of altars.

You can also take a look at the Recordamos exhibit of calaveras that will hang in the Gloria Singletary Gallery until November 14. Above you see a photo of the mixed media piece my son, Tom C. Williams, and I contributed to the show. I wrote the poem, he did the drawing.

Thirteen other local and regional artists have made contributions and the students of Sayre School have contributed an impressive collection of suitcase altars in mixed media.

Christine Kuhn has assembled a huge altar of found objects, including a motorcycle that was drawing much attention from the boys when we dropped by last week.

Other notable pieces take the idea of recordamos into the political. Robert Morgan’s assemblage “The Perfect Host,” a skeleton made of all manner of found objects — keys, plastic tags, and other things less easily recognizable — commemorates those who have died of AIDS, and a digital mixed-media wall hanging by Bruce Frank of Georgetown called “No Plants, No Planet.”

I have found the staff at the Living Arts and Science Center wonderfully friendly and helpful and you’ll find some lovely notecards and other items suitable for Christmas giving in their giftshop.

The Day of the Dead Festival is supported, in part, by: The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Donor Advised Fund of the Bluegrass Community Foundation.

I read this poem at the link: Relics