Dia de los Muertos - History
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The annual Día de los Muertos Festival (Day of the Dead) at Bare Hands honors the Hispanic, primarily Mexican, tradition in which families gather in local villages and cemeteries to remember their lost loved ones with stories, music, plays, food and art. It is similar to what we in the southern United States refer to as Decoration Day. It acknowledges death as an aspect of life. The annual commemoration at Bare Hands Gallery began in 2003 when a gallery artist asked to honor her father who had died that year with a Mexican inspired Day of the Dead altar. The artist, Tracy Martin, and her father, Civil Rights Photographer - Spider Martin, loved Mexico and its tradition of honoring lost loved ones in a joyful way on Dia de los Muertos. The overwhelming response to the initial installation for Spider was the catalyst for the festival Bare Hands Gallery hosts each year, which now occupies the gallery and courtyard, its alley and parking lot, and a neighboring 10,000 square foot lot. Attendance on Monday, November 2, 2009 reached 2300!

In Mexico, Day of the Dead is an artful, multi-faceted celebration. Each town has a unique way of commemorating the day, but certain symbols are constant. Altars of remembrance display photos of the deceased; their favorite things in life, such as foods, books, games, beverages, cigarettes; marigolds; prayer candles; salt; spices and copal incense. Family and friends gather around these altars at home and in the cemeteries to share music, memories and prayers. The ancient belief is that the souls of the deceased come to visit during Day of the Dead guided by the familiar colors and smells of food, incense and flowers. Other traditional elements include skeletons depicting the deceased going about everyday activities; monarch butterflies whose fall arrival in Mexico symbolizes souls returning to visit; flowers, particularly marigolds, adorning every altar and gravestone; sugar skulls which children decorate and place on altars, and bread of the dead - a special bread baked for the occasion. The holiday is a celebration of those that have gone before us and of the memories they have given us.

The festival at Bare Hands combines community art installation and procession with remembrance, creativity, performance, music and food, to honor such a rich cultural tradition and offer an exquisite downtown arts and cultural event.The celebration provides an annual opportunity to increase cultural understanding between the Hispanic and Non-Hispanic communities of north and central Alabama. Each year more individuals from the various Hispanic communities come to join the celebration at Bare Hands. Numerous non-profit organizations and businesses in Birmingham provide in-kind services so that the festival is able to only ask a small, suggested donation of $10 at the door. Once inside, refreshments, crafts and performances are free of charge.

Bare Hands holds the Dia de los Muertos Festival on its actual day of November 2nd every year and includes local and national Hispanic artists to add to the authenticity of the event. The gallery also mixes elements of southern remembrance traditions into the festival such as Decoration Day and New Orleans Jazz Memorial Procession. Other cultural memorial traditions are often expressed in the various altar installations. These efforts offer a cross-cultural, multi-cultural celebration unique in the southeast.

The design of the event offers a way to educate adults, as well as children, about the history, tradition, and art of Dia de los Muertos. Activities include a Children's Craft Area with mask painting, sugar skull decorating and bilingual story time from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM; live music, dance and performance from 2:00 PM until 10:00 PM; a memorial roll call of departed loved ones and procession at 6:00 PM; and individual altar installations (1:00 PM to 10:00 PM) by the public and artists creating a true work of public art. The installations inside the gallery and courtyard remain on display until Nov 22nd for free viewing, photographing and review to schools and the general public. Elementary and secondary schools and local universities are invited to tour.

The work of the festival begins on August 1 when some 100 volunteers, artists and students begin building props and art for the event. Papier-mâché abounds! Last year a 12 foot tall puppet, La Katrina, was built for the procession. This year her male counterpart, El Katrine, will be built and join her in the procession. Hundreds of masks, sugar skulls, flowers and boxes are created for children to use and decorate during the craft activities. On September 1 initial installation of lights and background structures for altar installation areas begins. Each week from August 1 until November 2 hundreds of hands and hundreds of hours bring a spectacular one-day event to fruition.

At some point Bare Hands hopes to expand the festival's outreach by taking its Dia de los Muertos children's crafts activities and bilingual story time into classrooms in Birmingham Elementary Schools. These lesson plans are available for any Alabama Elementary School teacher to use during Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15).

Image used for background was created by Alexander Henry.