Hollister
– San Benito High School art students don’t fear the reaper;
they think he’s prime material for sketches, sculptures and other
creative endeavors.
Hollister – San Benito High School art students don’t fear the reaper; they think he’s prime material for sketches, sculptures and other creative endeavors.
This weekend the SBHS art department is inviting the community to a special art show celebrating Dia de los Muertos, a Mexican holiday with roots dating back nearly 1,000 years.
“This is a great opportunity for the students,” said Louise Roy, an art teacher and one of the event organizers. “They have a lot of fun with the subject and it can be very personal, as well.”
Dia de los Muertos has been celebrated in one form or another since the days of the Aztecs throughout Mexico and Latin America. Each year between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2, families decorate the graves of lost loved ones, offer to share food and drink with them and dress their children up as skeletons.
“They believe that the veil between this world and the next is thinnest this time of year, so it’s easier for loved ones to visit from the other side,” Roy said.
While death is seen as a grim and taboo subject in most of the western world, many Latin American cultures have found a way to make light of it.
“They say that if you cry, the road back to the other side becomes slippery, so they laugh in order to keep from crying,” Roy said.
Roy was inspired to bring a Day of the Dead celebration to the community by another art teacher who had set up her own altar.
“She said that since there’s such a large Hispanic community here, something should really be done for the Day of the Dead,” she said.
Three years ago Roy established the first student Day of the Dead art show at the Briggs Building, which included student artwork and memorials to loved ones.
“It’s good for them to get out in the community and hear what people have to say about their work,” she said.
The show features student contributions from beginner students to the advanced, who have been studying for three or four years. Some students sketch skeletons performing day-to-day tasks – riding in a car, playing football, attending a party. Other students put together ceramic skulls and write short stories about the kind of people they were in life.
“The skulls are wonderful,” Roy said. “One has a mohawk, one is a pirate, one is a doctor, one is bright red with white flames. They have a lot of fun with the subject.”
New to the show this year is a large altar in honor of those who have passed away who were dear to both students and teachers, and the community is invited to contribute.
“We’re hoping people will participate with us this year. All they have to do is bring in a photocopy,” Roy said. “It could be very cool.”
Junior Ariana Villarrtal, who is contributing a burgundy skull adorned with white roses to the show, said she thinks the students have put together an impressive show.
“People should see what we actually do,” she said. “It’s a lot of work and you probably wouldn’t believe that it’s teenager who created these.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
