Museum's 'Dia de los Muertos' tribute

“Recuerde Siempre /Always Remember” is the enduring message around El dia de los Muertos at Sonoma Valley Museum of Art.

Now through November 2, the Museum invites the community to visit and decorate a special altar, an ofrenda, by bringing photos, stories, poems, and mementos of a loved one or anyone they wish to honor and remember. Pictured is the altar from 2010.

“Last year was the first time the Museum presented this kind of ofrenda for Day of the Dead and the community response was very moving,” said Margie Maynard, SVMA’s education and public programs director. “Every day I would come to work and discover a new offering that had been left overnight or the day before.”

Rooted in Mesoamerican culture, El dia de los muertos or Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1 and 2 and is a time to remember loved ones who have died and to celebrate their life. Traditionally, a special altar or ofrenda is the center of this celebration, where the living and the spirits gather together annually to reminisce and remember.

The inspiration for SVMA’s collective altar, built into the front windows along Broadway, comes from a custom among some Mexican pueblos to erect a communal ofrenda at the town’s entrance to ensure that the spirits without living relatives will also be remembered at this time of year.

In 2010, the first memento added to SVMA’s altar was a photograph of 17-year-old Luis Roberto Miranda, presented by his father, Roberto, who coincidentally had helped build last year’s ofrenda structure.

Gradually, more photos and colorful drawings, accompanied by personal remembrances filled in the spaces, with one of the last contributions being a fragrant garland of marigolds from Owen Tuttle, art teacher at Sonoma Valley High, and his wife Leslie. Maynard recalls, “The entire experience was exactly what we had hoped for—a collective, living tribute to help us all stay connected to those we have lost. We are really looking forward to getting together with everyone this year and seeing what takes shape.”

This year’s El dia de los muertos community altar at SVMA was made possible by a generous grant from the Sonoma Valley Newcomers.

Public programs at SVMA are part of the Calvin R. Vander Woude Lively Arts Series. Sonoma Valley Museum of Art is located at 551 Broadway, just off Sonoma Town Plaza and is open 11 am to 5 pm Wednesday through Sunday. For more information visit www.svma.org, or call (707) 939-7862.