Revel in Dia de los Muertos, Sunday, October 29, 1–4 pm, with sugar skulls, dancing, and song

October 4th, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 4, 2017 (Santa Fe, NM)—The Museum of International Folk Art announces its annual Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration, 1–4 pm, Sunday, October 29, 706 Camino Lejo, on Museum Hill.

Celebrated throughout Latin America traditionally on November 2, Dia de los Muertos is most strongly associated with Mexico, where the tradition originated. The holiday celebrates the lives of the deceased, particularly family members, with food, drink, dancing, and other activities the dead enjoyed in life. It is thought that at this time, the deceased awaken in spirit and join the living in revelry.

MOIFA commemorates Dia de los Muertos 2017 with music from the Northern New Mexico’s Chicano string band trio, Lone Piñon.

Visitors may also:

• bring a photo, flower, or memento representing a deceased loved one for the community altar.


• decorate sugar skulls.


• have their faces painted, Dia de los Muertos–style.


• enjoy the Flor y Canto (flower and song) hands-on art station.


• sample traditional Mexican treats such as pan de muerto and hot chocolate.

Admission to the museum is free courtesy of the Friends of Folk Art of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation.

Media contact:

Tricia Ware

tricialouiseware@gmail.com

(505) 603-0356

About the Museum of International Folk Art: http://www.internationalfolkart.org/

Founded in 1953 by Florence Dibell Bartlett, the Museum of International Folk Art’s mission is to foster understanding of the traditional arts to illuminate human creativity and shape a humane world. The museum holds the world’s largest international folk art collection of more than 150,000 objects from six continents and over 150 nations, representing a broad range of global artists whose artistic expressions make Santa Fe an international crossroads of culture. For many visitors, fascination with folk art begins upon seeing the whimsical toys and traditional objects within the Girard Collection. For others, the international textiles, ceramics, carvings and other cultural treasures in the Neutrogena Collection provide the allure.  The museum’s historic and contemporary Latino and Hispano folk art collections, spanning the Spanish Colonial period to modern-day New Mexico, reflect how artists respond to their time and place in ways both delightful and sobering. In 2010, the museum opened the Mark Naylor and Dale Gunn Gallery of Conscience, where exhibitions encourage visitors to exchange ideas on complex issues of human rights and social justice. A division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. 706 Camino Lejo, on Museum Hill in Santa Fe, NM 87505. (505) 476-1200. Hours: 10 am to 5 pm daily, May through October; closed Mondays November through April, closed Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Events, news releases and images about activities at the Museum of International Folk Art and other divisions in the Department of Cultural Affairs can be accessed at www.media.newmexicoculture.org