'Day of the Dead' festival memorializes loved ones
Jonathan Hicks, Staff Columnist
Published On: 10/28/2008
Art at many galleries, including Birmingham’s Bare Hands Gallery, can easily be described as a tool used by the living to express, control, or bury an emotion or idea, but current art at Bare Hands Gallery also has a place among the faithfully departed.
Through the hands of the living, the deceased can be memorialized and celebrated, not for their death, but for their lives and influence.
That is exactly why Bare Hands Gallery is honoring the Hispanic, primarily Mexican, tradition El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
The unique festival of remembrance and celebration is held through procession and altar installations, which are more or less art installations.
According to Anna Goodson, media relations and a coordinator for the event, the festival became a Birmingham event when a Day of the Dead altar was erected for acclaimed Civil Rights artist Spider Martin by his daughter, artist Tracy Martin. Since Tracy Martin and her father shared a love for Mexico, she felt the idea was well placed.
“The annual commemoration at Bare Hands Gallery began in 2003 when Martin was asked to honor her father, who had died that year, with a Day of the Dead altar. Tracy Martin, and her father, Civil Rights photographer Spider Martin, loved Mexico and the tradition of honoring lost loved ones in a joyful manner during El Dia de los Muertos, so the idea born,” Goodson said.
Goodson also said that after the first installation for Spider Martin garnished tremendous praise, the event became a yearly gathering of art and neighborhood participation, with huge attendance numbers reached last year.
“The overwhelming response to the initial installation for Spider was the catalyst for the annual festival at the gallery. Altars of all walks now occupy the gallery and courtyard, and the festival site has expanded to its alley, parking lot, and a neighboring 10,000 square foot lot. Attendance last year reached 2,000!”
Multi-cultural joint operation is probably the best way to describe the wonderful mix of Hispanic and American participants that have come together to make this festival a hot attraction between Spanish-speaking and English-speaking residents.
With help from the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, English promotional materials, such as posters, flyers, and many advertisements have been translated into Spanish to generate a productive community attendance.
To compliment the unity of the languages being used to generate community involvement, local artist from all mediums, as well as community members are all being asked to bring altars of their own for the festival.
“Local artists do participate in altar installations, but anyone in the community can bring a personal altar to share, and they do,” Goodson said.
She adds “it’s about telling stories and simply presenting things that were enjoyed by loved ones that they wish to honor or pay tribute to.”
Bare Hands Gallery Director Wendy Jarvis and volunteers conduct altar-building workshops in late summer and early fall, to encourage members of the community to create and bring altars.
All of the altars contain a story, some more obvious than others. That is why the line to see these altars moves somewhat slowly through the courtyard.
Altars contain personal items, photographs, favorite foods, and more, related to the honored loved one.
In the Hispanic tradition, these items are meant to entice the spirit of the departed for a visit.
The items are also meant to help those not familiar with the deceased get to know a person who was beloved by someone. It’s a simple idea, but sometimes that is the best approach.
Getting to experience some of the almost finished altars that are currently at the gallery, it has to be noted that they are massive in many cases. They involve a huge degree of patience to appreciate all the details, and the pieces present viewers with creative eye candy.
Bright blues and gold colors bounce across many pieces and, of course, flowers are in abundance. Even the ever-so-popular skeletons are delightfully decorated to convey the presence of the honored dead.
The departed also have many altars that have small personal objects that stand out in screaming comparison to some larger pieces simply because of their playfully optimistic charm.
Whether it is a pen, an action figure, a hair-care product or handwritten note, each altar offers something different for visitors to see.
The Sixth Annual Day of the Dead festival activities start at 1 p.m. and last until 10 p.m. on Sunday.
The activities will include Bilingual Story Time for children, Sugar Skull Decorating, and Skull Mask Painting.
There will also be a Mariachi Band and free refreshments while they last. The Memorial Roll Call will start at 5 p.m. and the Procession (parade) will start shortly after.
Everyone is invited to join in line, with festival costumes welcomed.
Five-time Grammy winner Flaco Jimenez, performing for the first time ever in Alabama, will began a spirited musical performance at 7 p.m.
Admission is a donation of $10 at the gate.
Email: jonathanm.hicks@gmail.com
