Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Happy Day of the Dead

Days of the Dead are underway. I just got back fromValley Ridge after a great weekend of teaching and friends and food. Oh...and I spoke to a dead person...actually she spoke to me. Not going to go into that right now, I must ponder this a bit, but very wierd, and I'll leave it at that.

The above image is my ofrenda (dia de los muertos altar), which I just completed. About 15 years ago my friend Bev Glueckert and myself started a contemporary arts festival based on the Mexican holiday. Bev and I retired from the organizing position about 5 years ago, but it is still going on. Tomorrow is the procession..thousands of skeletons and giant puppets wandering down the Missoula night time street. Check it out if your in the area...its amazing...but dress warm. I have to go as el Diablo, because I'm playing a judge in the Miss Dead Debutante Pageant...hosted by Burnt Parts.

Today the SteamRoller prints are being made (large banner prints for the parade pressed by steamroller). Very cool and done by the printmaking department of the University of Montana.

Here's the link to Missoula's Festival of the Dead

see you there,
M

7 comments:

Izabella Blue said...

You're going to leave us just like that!...in suspense! you must elaborate Michael, inquiring minds must know~ (someone dead was talking?!) xo!!

Anonymous said...

Oooh! My Heart Aches More... What a lovely photo...
I will do something for this occasion tonight to honor all of the dead things in my life.

I miss you...

XoxoxoX
Jane

claudine hellmuth said...

was it at the Vallery Ridge House. I swear it's haunted there! Beautiful, but haunted! Perfect for Halloween :)

Maija said...

I had to cancel my trip to Oaxaca for the Day of the Dead celebration. Too much political unrest and unsafe for travelers as per the Sate Department. I'm wondering if you went or are going in the near future? Hubby and I wound up spendin a few days at the Ritz Carlton in Lake Las Vegas instead. Not a lot of culture, but really fun! Maija

Violetswalk said...

How fun!!!! I once dressed as an "Unfortunate Prom Date". Which involved running over my "prom dress" with my car after applying black paint to the tire. Doing a fancy up-do then rolling around in a pile of leaves and sawing off the heal of one shoe. Sounds like a great entry for Miss Dead Debutante!

Peggi Meyer Graminski said...

Ooh, what amazing artwork on the altar! I love it!!!

Griselda said...

Hello Michael, I was thinking of you during Dia de los Muertos, and today I learned someone is selling an old ranch/hacienda near my hometown...it would be so much fun to be able to buy it and open a place where you could bring your group...it would make a marvelous permanent studio too. Take a look, http://www.hidalguia.com.mx/anuncios/index.htm
This is such a beautiful place, I remember it from those days when I was a kid when I went visiting with my grandparents, I used to think it was huge...still looks very large from here.