Blog Archives

Dia de Los Muertos in Las Vegas

10/30/2016

Isaias Urrabazo "Elizadeath" wood, paper, clay, acrylic paint Photo: PtD.

WHOM WERE YOU WEARING?: Isaias Urrabazo's "Elizadeath" is stunning in her shades of pinks, robust feathers and, oh, that frozen smile. . . The sculpture is one of the entries in the 16th Annual Life in Death Festival at Winchester Cultural Center. The festival is November 1 and 2 from 5 to 9 pm. Facebook.

TRADITION GONE COMMERCIAL?: There are purists who are concerned the meaning of Day of the Dead has jumped the dead shark. That it is a cultural gentrification, or appropriation, of a solemn ceremony of altars, ofrendas, for the deceased. Yet it's wider popularity has influenced how Mexico observes the indigenous Dia de Los Muertos. From the Los Angeles Times, In Mexico, Day of the Dead meets Halloween:

The two holidays — Halloween on Oct. 31 and Day of the Dead two days later — have fused here into a multi-day, sometimes surreal celebration and a bonanza for pinata and mask makers, costume fabricators and bakers specializing in sugary offerings for the departed. At the sprawling Sonora Market here, the final shopping days are frantic.

On Saturday, Mexico City held its first Day of the Dead parade, a runaway success that saw the route through downtown jammed with more 250,000 people, many in full Halloween mode, decked out in skeleton regalia, their faces painted like skulls.

The inspiration was pure Hollywood — last year’s James Bond movie, “Spectre,” featured a stunning opening scene of an imagined Day of the Dead street festival in Mexico City. Officials moved to turn fiction into a marketing jackpot, creating an extravaganza of stylized death to draw tourists and showcase the Mexico brand.

'Bunko' On The Air

10/23/2016

FIELD NOTES: FInal prep for "Bunko: The Lost Archives" was completed over the weekend. The MFA midway for the author of this blog opens Monday, October 24 . . . Bunko Archives was launched in April to introduce the show. Media Note: There are small moments that offer a tingle or inner buzz. One was to see the name of the exhibition be peeled off on Saturday. Another was to hear the intro at the top of KNPR's Friday broadcast about the exhibition. To paraphrase it: "More on Bunko, but first the news." The full interview, "Ed Fuentes And The Artist Known As 'Bunko,' " is now up at KNPR.

UNLV ARTIST LECTURE SERIES: UP NEXT. Mike Calway- Fagen

10/23/2016

Artist Mike Calway-Fagen is the next speaker for the 2016 UNLV Visiting Artist Lecture Series and he has new works up at Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery. Before the 7 p.m. lecture at The Barrick there will be an artist reception for banana strings at The Beam.

UNLV'S Department of Art and the Barrick Museum welcome
ARTIST'S RECEPTION: October 27, 2016 (5-7pm), Donna Beam
VISITING ARTIST LECTURE: October 27, 2016 (7-9pm), Barrick Museum
EXHIBITION DATES: October 7 - November 30, 2016, Donna Beam

Inspired by the spectacle of humanity in flux, Georgia-based artist Mike Calway-Fagen approaches sculpture as an open-ended plurality of associative possibilities, theoretical frameworks, and material arrangements. His work has appeared in the United Kingdom, Canada, and extensively across the United States.

Lectures take place every Thursday evening starting at 7 p.m. in the Barrick Museum Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.

Thursday, October 27 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
UNLV Marjorie Barrick Museum
4505 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154

<<Previous

Dia de Los Muertos in Las Vegas

'Bunko' On The Air

UNLV ARTIST LECTURE SERIES: UP NEXT. Mike Calway- Fagen

ARCHIVES

TAGS