Arting Ways has teamed up with Hospice of Santa Cruz County again this year to create an ofrenda (shown above) for the annual exhibit at Pajaro Valley Arts. This year’s exhibit theme is Living Stories.

Mi Casa es Tu Casa is PVA’s annual exhibit inspired by Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a traditional holiday in Mexico that celebrates ancestors and others who have passed away. Altars (ofrendas) are built in homes and public spaces to honor and remember the dead. Similar customs exist throughout the world and we share common ground with many cultures in our desire to honor and remember those whom we have lost.

Living Stories/ Historias Vivientes

Loved ones lost are best remembered through the tales we repeatedly tell about them. Of all these, it seems to be the humorous ones that best commemorate the true spirit of the departed. Narrative altars convey these cherished memories through familiar scenes that hope to draw the dead back into the realm of the living where their legacy lives on through shared stories. —Curator Mary Tartaro

Opening reception:

Sunday, October 28, 2018

2:00PM-4:00PM

Performances by:

Senderos: featuring dancers and musicians from Oaxaca tradition

White Hawk Dancers

Workshops: Making La Catrina figurines, and make your own altar