For Immediate Release
Contact: Amy Day
Tel: 515.271.0344 (o)
515.612.0775 (c)
aday@desmoinesartcenter.org
DES MOINES, IOWA (October 2024) – The Des Moines Art Center invites you to step into a vibrant tradition that began over 3,000 years ago during the Aztec Empire. Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, offers healing, joy, and connection, honoring the belief that “what we remember, lives.”
In some Mexican and other Latino cultures, it is believed that departed souls return to enjoy earthly pleasures once a year. During this festive time, families honor their ancestors and the recently deceased with commemorative altars, called ofrendas, by filling them with flowers, photographs, food, candles, sugar skulls, toys, and other symbolic items.
The Art Center will present a free, family-friendly day of Día de Los Muertos customs and activities taking place throughout the museum on Sunday, October 27 from 11 am – 3 pm. Visitors will enjoy hands-on art projects, food vendors with authentic menu items for purchase, live music, a Catrina costume contest, a procession through the galleries, complimentary Mexican hot chocolate, samples of pan de los muertos (a traditional bread of the dead), and an ofrenda.
This year’s ofrenda has been designed by young artists from Al Éxito with the guidance of artist Siricasso and Al Éxito Executive Director Dawn Martinez Oropeza. Al Éxito is a non-profit organization that works to accelerate the academic achievement and leadership capacity of Latinx youth in order to fully participate and thrive in Iowa’s communities.
The young members of Al Éxito chose Jóvenes de la Flama Eterna (Youth of the Eternal Flame) as the theme of this year’s ofrenda, remembering and celebrating the lives of young members of our community that were lost too soon.
“Al Éxito is grateful to the Des Moines Art Center for uplifting a vision of our young artists and supporting healing for the families who are grieving the loss of a child. It is an honor to create a space for celebrating the beauty and joy of their lives,” said Oropeza.
The Day of the Dead event is free and open to all. No registration is required. The ofrenda will remain on view in the Art Center’s Harriet S. and J. Locke Macomber Lobby through November 10, 2024.
Support for the Des Moines Art Center’s Day of the Dead event is provided by Art Bridges Access for All, Faegre Drinker, Homesteaders Life Company, and Iles Funeral Homes.
For more information, or to request images, contact Senior Director of Communications and Marketing Amy Day at 515.271.0344 or aday@desmoinesartcenter.org.
About the Des Moines Art Center
The Des Moines Art Center is a vibrant, AAM-accredited (American Association of Museums) institution located in the capital city of Iowa that welcomes over 300,000 visitors annually from across the country and around the globe. Its historic campus consists of three buildings designed by major architects of the 20th century—Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier—incorporated into the natural landscape of Greenwood Park. The Art Center is home to one of the strongest collections of 20th and 21st century art in the region, and it hosts a series of ground-breaking exhibitions and lectures each year featuring artists known regionally, nationally, and internationally. The experimental art for which the Art Center cares is reflected in its creative offerings, including a celebrated education program that prioritizes access and collaboration, an art school with studio classes for all ages, and the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park, situated on 4.4 acres in downtown Des Moines. The Art Center is committed to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which are incorporated into every facet of its mission and identity.
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