Paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, prints and mixed media
October 29 - November 22, 2009
The theme of the group show is Day of the Dead, and the run of the show will include Halloween and the two Days of the Dead, November 1 and 2. Gifted Hispanic artists from Portland and the Willamette Valley - Analee Fuentes, Gene Flores, Alejandro Ceballos, Susana Espino, Paulina Hermosillo, Armando Olveda, Vincent Ramirez, Enrique Santacruz and Pepe Moscoso - will exhibit new work, and other artists working within the genre, such as Cori Jacobs, Greg Carrigan, Clay Hoffman, Lorena Goss, Sue Burnett, Nancy Watterson Scharf and Sarah Smith will also have their art in the show.
The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos in Spanish) is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage (and others) living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and relatives who have died. The celebration occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November, in connection with the Catholic holy days of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day which take place on those days. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Observance of the holiday in Mexican-American communities in the United States has become more important and widespread as the community grows numerically and economically.
On Alberta Street for the second year, there will be significant activity related to the Day of the Dead. In addition to the show at Onda, there willl be another major group show of Day of the Dead art located at Guardino Gallery. A procession commemorating the Day of the Dead will take place on Last Thursday, October 29. Several Day of the Dead altars will also be built - one at Onda Gallery and one in the parking lot in back of Guardino Gallery.
