The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art celebrated the Mexican tradition known as Dia de Los Muertos or “Day of the Dead.”
There were musical and dance performances all over the museum, as well as art activities for the entire family.
Day of the Dead is a centuries-old tradition in Mexico where families celebrate their loved ones who have died. The celebration is centered around the foods, activities or things that the loved ones enjoyed in life.
Miguel Rivera is an associate professor and chair of printmaking at the Kansas City Art Institute. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art invited him to create an installation in honor of the day.
“By teaching the Kansas City area about Mexican culture and traditions, I think that people will learn to appreciate more and also, to be more intrigued and interested in Mexican culture,” Rivera said.
Rivera’s altar honors the late Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a Colombian writer who won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982.
He said he hopes people who visit will understand the emotion behind the Day of the Dead.
“I hope they will see that death or the celebration of the dead in Mexico is light-hearted,” he said. “It's a nice festivity, it's a spiritual passage for a lot of people and it's a happy day.”
This is the fourth year the museum has celebrated Day of the Dead.
Rivera’s installation will be on display at Kirkwood Hall until Nov. 9.
