Gualala Arts Lecture Series presents:
Honoring Our Ancestors:
Days of the Dead

with Evelyn Orantes and Joaquin Newman
Monday, September 14, 2009, 7:00 p.m.
Admission is $5

Following up on last year's very successful Días de los Muertos celebration on November 2, this lecture by Evelyn Orantes and Joaquin Newman on Monday, September 14, 2009 provides valuable insights into the cultural practices that surround this traditional Mexican and Mesoamerican event. This enrichment opportunity will provide those participating in this year's celebration with ideas, information and hopefully some inspiration to help you with your personal, private, and public expressions for Days of the Dead.

The Días de los Muertos tradition as we know it now has a long and rich history that can be traced back to pre-hispanic Mesoamerican (Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala) times. The tradition's biggest transformation took place during Spanish conquest where the indigenous roots were combined with Roman Catholic elements. This living tradition continues to evolve and adapt to the present day, even as it has spread to the United States and joined the many celebrations now observed in this land of immigrants.

Evelyn Orantes is the Cultural Arts Developer for the Oakland Museum of California. She oversees art school programs for the education department as well as serves as the Project Director of the Days of the Dead annual exhibition and related public programs. Evelyn has devoted the last ten years of her career as a cultural worker to advancing community based arts practice, and addressing issues of diversity in the arts.

The son of an artist mother and a scientist father, Joaquin Newman's mixed heritage of Yaqui, Mexican, and European ancestry has fueled his creative endeavors his entire life. His murals and paintings can be found on many walls and galleries around the Bay Area and the nation.

We invite you to join Ms. Orantes and Mr. Newman for an evening of celebrating life and remembering our ancestors through expressions of this increasingly popular celebration!

The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA,
is open weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Please call (707) 884-1138 for more information, or email info@gualalaarts.org.

Serving the coastal communities of northern Sonoma & southern Mendocino Counties.