Curated by Enrique Fernández Cervantes and Jose Vargas

Opening Reception:
Saturday, October 21, 2006 – 6-9 PM
Free and open to the public.

The Bath House Cultural Center presents the 20th annual Día de los Muertos art exhibition, October 14 – November 11, 2006. This year’s exhibition features 70 local, regional, national and international artists working in traditional and contemporary styles to celebrate, explore and honor people, things, and ideas that have “passed on.” This eclectic exhibition includes a collection of eighty pieces of art, all of which promise to be challenging, inspiring and thought provoking. The show includes works by artists from the DFW area, Texas, Mexico, Paraguay, South Korea, Norway and Colombia.

20th Anniversary of the Day of the Dead exhibition:
The year 2006 Marks the 20th Anniversary of the Day of the Dead exhibition at the gallery spaces of the Bath House Cultural Center. The Bath House's tradition of presenting the Day of the Dead show began on November 1986 when Teatro Dallas incorporated displays of traditional Mexican altars of the dead into a theatrical presentation titled Johnny Tenorio.

Throughout the years, the exhibitions have evolved from being primarily a collection of traditional altar installations done mostly by Dallas Hispanic artists to a much wider selection of artistic interpretations that include-- in addition to the altars-- sculpture, painting, photography and other contemporary mixed media techniques. The last ten years have also seen a significant increase of non-Hispanic artists participating in this exhibition as more people embrace the Day of the Dead tradition and see the tremendous potential of the show’s theme for artistic creation.

Jose Vargas

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

Greg Angus Chandra Armstead Rita Barnard Magda Bowen Kristine Byars Paul Carranza Chris Cole Kim Corbet Sheila Cunningham Christian Dare Jenny DeLaughter Viola Delgado Leah DeVun Lori Dudley Brett Dyer Amalia Elmasri Esttibalys Merry Fuhrer Janet Ghio Allison S. Gillies Rosalinda Gomoh Clara I. Gutiérrez Melody Hay Juan J. Hernández Rhonda Hill Houston-Carver Ann Huey Alexandra Hulsey Loli Kantor Cindy Kelley B. R. Kline Evamaria Kutscheid Linda López LoRe

Eli Lorenz Jackie MacLelland Melodee Martin Ramírez Terry McGuirt Luis Morales Sandra A. Moreno Lisa Orwig Marilyn Parrish Dune-Micheli Patten Ida Pauken Sharon Penner Radomir Petrovich Roxie Pillow Rhonda Polakoff Kelly G. Rathbone Christine J. Rayl Shayne W. Ridenour Gail Roberts Karen Robinson Brenda Robson Phil Roger Kate Schatz Dianne Schlies Jerry E. Smith Elliot Snedden Jeanne Sturdevant Kris Swenson Cecilia Thurman Lorena Tinajero Steve van Gelder Jose Vargas John Wathne Cynthia K. Wilson Kathy Windrow

Rita Barnard

The tradition of the Day of the Dead - During the traditional Day of the Dead holiday, people assemble elaborate altars in their homes to commemorate those who have died, filled with objects that provided pleasure to the departed person. Because of this warm social environment, the colorful setting, and the abundance of food, drink and good company, this holiday commemorating the dead has pleasant rather than scary or sad overtones.

According to an ancient Mexican tradition, every year the spirit of the dead come back to visit with their families. This happens on All Saints Day (November 1) and on the Day of the Dead (November 2). Cemeteries are cleaned and decorated with flowers and elaborate altars with offerings of food and cherished items of the deceased are built in peoples’ homes to welcome the returning spirits. Although this tradition has its origins in Mexico, people of many cultures, races and backgrounds embrace the celebration. Life and death are universal concepts that everyone can explore.

Kim Corbet