UW-Whitewater’s Roberta’s Art Gallery hosted a pop-up exhibit during the last week of October to celebrate Día de los Muertos. They worked in collaboration with the numerous Latinx organizations on campus including Spanish Club and Latinos Unidos, along with help from faculty from the Race & Ethnic studies department. The exhibit, entitled “Ofrenda,” featured several works of art along with the titular ofrenda.
An ofrenda is an altar that is created for the Mexican holiday, which is celebrated from the end of October into the beginning of November. Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is so named because its purpose is to give people the opportunity to honor their loved ones who have passed away.
“Where I come from, the marigold petals are laid out on the ground to guide the souls to the altar. That smell of burning candles, of incense burning, the smell of the marigolds tells you that there is an ofrenda nearby,” Dr. Ede-Hernandez, associate professor of Spanish and advisor of Spanish Club, said.
The ofrenda is an integral part of the holiday. The word ofrenda comes from the word offering, which is what the altar is traditionally used for, holding the offerings for people honored on the ofrenda. The offerings are usually the favorite things of those who passed.
“Traditionally, there should be food on the ofrenda,” said Ede-Hernandez. “Any food or drink put on the altar is food that a loved one used to enjoy. There should be mole, pollo, arroz and pozole. But unfortunately we are in a gallery so we can’t bring real food because it would of course spoil.”
The ofrenda featured in the gallery had no shortage of offerings, even without any delicious food present. Unlike most art exhibits, everyone was encouraged to add their own pictures, offerings and kind words to the altar. Gallery staff supplied everyone in attendance at the exhibit’s reception with paper marigolds that could be written on and pinned to the altar.
Because Dia de los Muertos is celebrated at the same time that Halloween is, there can sometimes be misconceptions about what the holiday is truly about. The exhibit served as a safe place for there to be discussion and for the speakers to dispel any misinformation.
“I’m originally from Mexico,” Ede-Hernandez said. “I’m very honored to have the opportunity to share and actually show everyone how we honor and remember our loved ones. It’s like a memory, it’s not something creepy or spooky. It’s just a way to remember those who have passed away.”
Ede-Hernandez has made it a personal mission in the past few years to put together an ofrenda on campus each year with the help of her students and colleagues. This year is only the second of hopefully many that an ofrenda was created and displayed in Roberta’s Art Gallery.
“I wanted to thank Dr. Ede-Hernandez for bringing this forward to Roberta’s Art Gallery in the University Center so that it is more accessible for all of our community,” said Tonia Kapitan, the gallery’s director. “It was important to make sure there was a prominent space for this conversation and exhibit on campus.”
“Roberta’s Art Gallery usually hosts monthly art exhibitions. But we also have several pop-up exhibits, including this one, so we’re very excited to be able to host those in this space,” says Kapitan.
- Roberta’s Art Gallery’s next exhibit is another pop-up exhibit that runs from Nov. 4-8. This exhibit will feature photos and biographies of First-Generation UW-Whitewater students, faculty and alumni. The gallery is free and open to the public during Monday through Friday 1o a.m. to 2 p.m.Assistant Professor in the Department of Languages and Literature, Luzma Ede-Hernandez, talks about the importance and cultural significance of the ofrenda, Tuesday Night, October 29, 2024.
