![Dia de Muertos / Dia de Oakwood](https://unitedarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1e6a9b15-34e2-4bfe-9708-210958fa35b4-1.jpg)
Dia de Muertos / Dia de Oakwood is a curriculum designed to introduce the student to the traditions, history, art and ideas behind Day of the Dead, a festive ancient Mexican celebration of remeberance. Selected schools participate in Dia de Oakwood, a Dia de Muertos installation at Oakwood Cemetery by designing and implementing an ofrenda at the installation.
The program delivers two days of instruction per school. On the first day, the curriculum covers the historical context of Dia de Muertos and establishes a frame of reference to illustrate the major benchmarks of the 3000+ year-old tradition and how it came to be today. The content is paralled with a slide lecture ensuring the students become familiar with the history as it realtes to images. On the second day of instruciton, students are engage in a how-to workshop, where two of the most iconic Dia de Muertos elements, paper cempaxochitl (marygold) flowers and papel picado are shown on how to be made and then used to construct a table-top ofrenda. Overall, the student will have been served a historical, cultural and artistic approach to Dia de Muertos, ensuring they feel connected with the tradition.
The goal is to equip the student with a sense of history and a working practical knowledge of what Dia de Muertos is, so they understand what ofrendas are, how to make a table and set up a table-top ofrenda at home, and possibly form a team to represent their school with an ofrenda at Dia de Oakwood.
Artist Background
Peter Marin is a painter, Mexican craft artist, educator, curator and Latino arts advocate. Marin’s mission in working in edicational settings is to deliver objective, clear and thought-provoking information in a contextual manner in a variety of forms such as slides to art and hands-on workshops. Marin has been teaching for 26 years to undergraduate students, corporate clients, communities, private students, middle/high school students and for arts/history institutions. In 2023, Marin worked with Green Level High School, Raleigh Charter High School, and Garner Road Middle School. Marin is looking forward to working with Longleaf School of the Arts, Leesville Middle, Magellan Charter, and again with Garner Road Middle, Raleigh Charter for this year’s Dia de Oakwood.
Search Criteria
- Program Type: Workshop/Residency
- Discipline: Visual Arts
- Grade Level: High, Middle
- Cultural Context: Hispanic, Latinx
- Does Not Accept bookings in Johnston County