The Bath House Cultural Center at White Rock Lake is currently accepting applications for its 38th annual Dia de Muertos Exhibition.
Catrina Loca, a mixed-media collage by Rebecca Guy. (Bath House Cultural Center)
The Exhibition, entitled Día de Muertos: Messages of Love for the Forgotten and Disappeared, is curated by Enrique Fernández Cervantes and is open to all U.S-based artists. The exhibition will run from Oct. 12 to Nov. 8, with a reception on Oct 13. The submission deadline is Sept 16., and a list of selected artists will be posted on Sept 19. There is no submission fee.
Dia de los Muertos, which translates to the Day of the Dead, is a traditional Mexican celebration which goes back centuries. It is believed that every year in late October and early November, souls of the deceased return to Earth temporarily to spend time with loved ones.
Altars, known as ofrendas, are decorated with candles, flowers and photos of departed family members. Food is also placed on the altars, just in case the departed want a snack or to share a meal with their family again.
While Nov. 1 and 2 are the most commonly celebrated days of the holiday, in some places Dia is observed over seven days, with a different soul visiting each day. Oct. 30, according to the release, is a time to honor the souls of those who have been forgotten or who no longer have family to remember them.
The Exhibition’s theme centers around this idea, seeking to “convey messages of love, honoring and memorializing the forgotten souls.” While the theme may seem somber, submissions are encouraged to include festivity, as the day is meant to be joyful.
Art of all mediums will be accepted, but two-dimensional art must stand on its own, and three-dimensional art must be able to stand on its own. Submissions are also open to those who wish to build altars. Those who want to submit altars must include a photo of a completed ofrenda or a conceptualized sketch. Five to seven altar submissions will be accepted.
For more information on submissions, visit the Bath House’s website.
