MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — While people may be gearing up for Halloween, another big holiday is just one day later, Day of the Dead.
“Día de Los Muertos is not an aesthetic. It is genuinely a celebration of life and a very important one for our community,” said Jacobo Lovo, Managing Artistic Director, Latino Arts, Inc.
From the colorful to the more somber, the Día de Los Muertos Ofrendas exhibit at Latino Arts, Inc. highlights the different offerings or altars that families and organizations across Milwaukee design and decorate to honor their lost loved ones.
With dedications to notable figures like music icon Vicente Fernandez, to special Milwaukeeans who left an indelible mark on their community, managing artistic director Jacobo Lovo says each piece tells its own story.
“We always aim to have a very authentic representation of the tradition, but we always have a balance of traditional and non-traditional ofrendas,” said Lovo.
One of the non-traditional ofrendas displayed this year focuses on victims of gun violence.
Each one of these portraits was painted on a special canvas, created from an article of the victim’s clothing.
Lovo says while the holiday may seem similar to Halloween, the understanding of its distinction for those who don’t celebrate it is essential.
“It's important to understand that you know, you could put on a t-shirt, you can put on a face paint, but that is not truly celebrating Día de Los Muertos. You really have to connect with a culture; you have to connect with the idea that you're commemorating loved ones or friends that meant something to you and celebrating their life,” said Lovo.
While Día de Los Muertos is on November 1, the exhibit runs through November 18.
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