Art Pick: Community Altars
Community Altars: Love to Death
Mexic-Arte Museum
September 15 – November 26
In 1984 the Mexic-Arte Museum in downtown Austin threw itself onto the scene with a wild opening season party. Everyone was invited. Mexican and Latino, Anglo and otherwise, dead or alive. It was their first Day of the Dead Festival, and they’ve been throwing it every year since.
While the annual festival and parade don’t happen until late October (in connection to the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico), the Mexic-Arte Museum begins its celebration early with the exhibition “Community Altars: Love to Death” in the main gallery north and annex hall. Beginning September 15 the museum will present Dia de Los Muertos-style altars created by artists, community groups, and individuals to commemorate the lives of influential figures, pop culture icons, and loved ones who have passed.
Since its inception in ’84, the Mexic-Arte Museum has stood proud and bright as one of the nation’s few Mexican art museums. And as one of the few cities in the nation that has crossed the majority-minority threshold (the non-Hispanic white population dropped below 50% over a decade ago, and the Latino population accounts for over one-third of residents today), Austin is the perfect place to celebrate the diverse lives that have made Austin Austin. The exhibition runs from September 15 through November 26, and everyone is welcome. No matter your race, class, or sentient status.
Read more from the Style Issue | September 2017