Eugene Day of the Dead exhibit!

[analee...@msn.com]

A long-standing celebration in Eugene, Maude Kerns Art Center is
having it's annual Day of the Dead exhibit. Be sure to come down and
see the work , partake in the festivities! Analee

Dates: October 16 - November 6, 2009
10/07/09
For more information, contact Karen Marie Pavelec at
Maude Kerns Art Center, 1910 East 15th Avenue,
Eugene, Oregon 97403
Tel.: (541) 345-1571; Fax: (541) 345-6248
st...@mkartcenter.org; www.mkartcenter.org
For Immediate Release

Maude Kerns Art Center Presents
The Sixteenth Annual Day of the Dead
Día de los Muertos Exhibit
October 16 - November 6
Opening Reception Fiesta: Friday, October 16, 6 - 9 pm

The Maude Kerns Art Center presents the sixteenth annual "Día de los
Muertos Exhibit and Celebration," opening on Friday, October 16, with
a Fiesta
from 6 - 9 pm. The Fiesta's entertainment includes performances by
the
Ballet Folklórico Alma de México and the Ballet Folklórico
Xochiquetzal, . "Día
de los Muertos" is on view through November 6. Tours of the show by
gallery
guides are offered in Spanish and English to students and the general
public. The 2009 Día de los Muertos Exhibit sponsor is Alice Parman,
Ph.D.

This popular exhibit features 21 artists from five states throughout
the
U.S. It was juried by arts administrator Miriam Jordan, local artist
Hannah Goldrich, and MKAC Exhibits Designer Dena Brown. The show
honors the
Mexican Day of the Dead holiday on November 1 and November 2 of each
year when
the spirits of the dead are thought to return briefly to share in the
activities of the living. This year's artwork includes photography,
oil and acrylic
painting, collage, printmaking, ceramics, glass, and mixed media
assemblage.

Coburg artist Analee Fuentes has a number of pieces in the current
exhibit, including a mixed media assemblage, "Homage to Frida," and a
large Frida
puppet. Day of the Dead imagery is an integral part of Analee's work
and
cultural heritage. She says: "'La Muerte' and I know one another quite
well; we are companions. She reminds me to pay attention, to make each
day
count.... If Death is my escort to an afterlife, I can only hope that
it
exists somewhere in a place as beautiful as the Willamette Valley,
that
Frida will still be painting, that Maude Kerns Art Center will still
be
having this show, and that someone, somewhere, is having a laugh on
me."

Anthony Dean Hensley of Springfield painted "Outlaws Celebration"
specifically with Maude Kerns Art Center and the Día de los Muertos
exhibit in mind. In the foreground, a group of skeleton desperados are
getting
drunk and rowdy around the tombstones, soon to be interrupted by a
skeleton
sheriff who appears in the sky above. Far in the distance, in a
desert-like landscape, sits a perfect rendition of the Art Center's
church building.

California artist Melissa Acedera presents a group of photographs
taken
at the 2008 Día de los Muertos celebration at Hollywood Forever
Cemetery,
including "Frida Incarnate," a striking image of a woman with her face
painted white in an elaborate headdress.

Local artist Samuel Becerra, originally from Mexico City, displays
hand-built clay skulls, including a "Tzompantli," a wall of 49
differently shaped skulls reminiscent of the wall of skulls outside
the Templo Mayor
in Mexico City.

Also showcased in the Día de los Muertos exhibit are commemorative
altars created by the following local organizations and members of the
community: Amigos Multicultural Services Center, Rocio Diaz, members
of the Art
Center's Duchess Committee, Hannah Goldrich and Carmelita Thompson,
Seven Stars Preschool, and Jessica Zapata.

Día de los Muertos is celebrated not only in Mexico, but throughout
Central and South America. Although many of the principal ideas are
the same,
the design of the altar and the various elements used vary from region
to
region and country to country. This year Amigos Multicultural Services
Center
youth program, Juventud FACETA, presents a special altar in the
tradition of
Ecuador. Two young Ecuadorian members of the group take the lead in
the
altar design, drawing on their own cultural background. On Wednesday,
November 4, from 7:00 - 8:30 pm, the public is invited to hear members
of the Amigos Multicultural Services Center speak about how the
celebration
of Día de los Muertos varies not only in regions of Mexico, but
throughout
South America

The Maude Kerns Art Center, located at 1910 E. 15th Avenue at the
corner
of 15th and Villard, is Eugene's oldest non-profit community center
for the
visual arts. Gallery hours are from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm, Monday -
Friday,
and noon to 4:00 pm on Saturday when exhibits are on display. There is
a
$3 requested donation. For more information, call 541-345-1571 or see
the
website at www.mkartcenter.org.
--End--

Karen Marie Pavelec
Executive Director
Maude Kerns Art Center
Phone: 541.345.1571
Fax: 541.345.6248
Email: ka...@mkartcenter.org
website: www.mkartcenter.org