Día de los Muertos Exhibit — Oct. 10-Nov. 3
Th annual event highlights the Mexican tradition with altar display and mariachi band concert.
A colorful exhibition highlighting the centuries’ old Mexican folk holiday – Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) – will be on display from Tuesday, Oct. 10 through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Troy Savings Bank Charitable Foundation Atrium, located in the Marvin Library.
For nearly a decade, Malú Benton, a professor in the English, Foreign Languages and English as a Second Language Department, has created an altar display featuring traditional elements such as esqueletos (skeletons), calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls), and flowers. Year by year, the exhibition has grown and its time frame has been extended due to its popularity.
New this year: Fiesta del Norte, a Connecticut-based mariachi band, will present a free, noontime concert on Thursday, Oct. 12 in the Bulmer Telecommunications Center Auditorium. Fiesta del Norte performs traditional Mexican folk and popular music while dressed in traditional sombreros and “charro” outfits. The concert will feature four musicians/singers performing Mariachis of Jalisco, Nortenas of Chihuahua and Marimba music of Chiapas with guitar, violin, trumpet, plus the stringed vihuela and guitarron. Stories, cultural insights and song translations enhance the program that builds to a joyous conclusion.
Both the exhibition and concert are open free to the public. The exhibit is accessible during regular library hours: 7:45 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:45 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Also for the first time, the exhibit will include a “pin board” on which members of the campus community are invited to post 4×6-inch photos of loved ones they wish to remember and honor on Día de los Muertos .
If you wish to honor a loved one with this unique Mexican tradition, please mail your pictures to Professor Benton at BRN 035. The pictures must be printed and they should be 4×6 inches in size. Submissions will be accepted any time between Oct. 10 and Nov. 2.
An inaugural Poetry Showcase also is planned. Students and staff are invited to write short poems in English describing what Day of the Dead means to them. Poets are invited to read their work on Friday, Oct. 27 at 1 p.m. at the BTC Auditorium. Participants will have the chance to win one of three gift cards in a raffle. Lunch and gift cards are courtesy of the Student Activities Office.
A Skull Coloring Contest again will take place at the library. Coloring sheets, available at the library’s first floor Service Desk , may be submitted until 11 a.m. on Nov. 2 and winners will be announced with prizes (provided by Student Activities) awarded at noon in the library atrium. All entries will be part of the library’s Day of the Dead display. This event is organized by Christina Parnell, senior clerk in the library.
The full schedule of Día de los Muertos events:
Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. — The movie “Coco” will be shown in the Multipurpose Room on the library’s second level. Refreshments will be provided by the Student Activities Office.
Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. — Professor Benton will lead a discussion of the Mexican tradition of Día de Muertos, also in library’s Multipurpose Room. Refreshments provided by the Student Activities Office.
Friday, Oct. 27, at 1 p.m. — Day of the Dead Poetry Showcase will be held in the BTC Auditorium. Come read your poem! Gift card raffle and refreshments provided by the Student Activities Office.
Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 2:30 p.m. — The movie “The Book of Life” will be shown in CTR 150. Refreshments provided by the Student Activities Office.
Thursday, Nov. 2, at noon — Skull coloring contest prizes will be awarded in the Marvin Library Learning Commons Atrium. Gift card prizes provided by the Student Activities Office.
The Día de los Muertos celebration is a joint initiative of the English, Foreign Languages and English as a Second Language Department, the Marvin Library, the Student Activities Office, the Cultural Affairs Program and the Black & Latino Student Union. All the events are coordinated by Professor Benton.