Deep Dive in Five: Día de los Muertos with Kathryn Blackmer Reyes

When a loved one passes away, how can their spirit be recognized and remembered? In Mexico, as well as in many Catholic countries and Latinx/Chicanx communities, families honor and celebrate the dead during el Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in early November.

This fall, the Africana, Asian American, Chicano, and Native American (AAACNA) Studies Centerwill be hosting the annual Art of Remembrance exhibit in partnership with San José Multicultural Artists Guildon the fifth floor of SJSU's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. The exhibit, spearheaded by SJSU Librarian Kathryn Blackmer-Reyes, '96 MLIS, highlights traditional and contemporary visual arts by local and Bay Area artists. The exhibit features altars made by professional artists, as well as members of the public, to honor the dead.

Not only that, but the 27th annual Día de los Muertos procession and comparsa (festival) returns on October 20 after a five-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The procession, which starts at 11 am, welcomes community members to join dancers, musicians and skeletons to walk around downtown and gather on campus for the festival from 1-4 pm, a multicultural presentation of dancers, musicians and theater. There will also be more than 30 vendors selling Day of the Dead crafts, as well as a children's arts and crafts area.

Blackmer Reyes joined us to answer a few questions about this year's exhibit.

What is Día de Los Muertos?

Kathryn Blackmer Reyes (KBR): Día de los Muertos is a time to remember our loved ones that have passed. It is a Mexican holiday that blends the customs of Indigenous people with the Catholic "All Saints" and "All Souls" days of Nov. 1 and 2. In Mexico and in other Latin American countries, the honoring takes place at the cemetery. November 1, Día de los Inocentes, is a day that we honor the unborn and/or children who have passed. November 2 is All Souls Day, where every lost loved one is remembered. Families visit the gravesites and clean and decorate with candles, cempasuchiles(marigolds), and other important items that the loved one might have enjoyed in life. In Mexico, altars are a staple of people's homes year-round, and can include pictures of lost ones, religious objects, a light or candle and flowers. These home altars can be a shelf or a piece of furniture someplace in the home.

In the United States, Day of the Dead takes a more elaborate shape, where we see artistic altars created prior to November 1 and 2, much like the exhibit displayed in the library. These altars, while they honor departed souls, can also represent world conflicts in an artistic form while still incorporating the altar elements of wind, water, earth, and fire.

Tell us about the Art of Remembrance exhibit. What does it entail?

KBR:The Art of Remembrance is an artistic display honoring those loved souls. There are some that are more traditional in shape. Some are personal and others speak to world issues. The altars are created by cultural artists, families and friends, teachers and students, and others who wish to make an altar. There is photography and art and handcrafted Mexican folk art alebrijes (sculptures of animals) from Oaxaca. And of course we also welcome the King Calavera, the 13-foot skeleton that towers over patrons as they enter the library.

What role does the library play in shaping and hosting these events? Why is King Library a good home for this exhibit?

KBR: The exhibit represents what this library is: a shared and collaborative space between SJSU and the San José Public Library. It welcomes the vast communities that this building serves. The library is about more than books and databases; it provides art and culture for all those that come in. With these exhibits, our patrons are learning through the enjoyment of art and culture.

This exhibit is sponsored by the San José Multicultural Artist Guild (SJMAG), a nonprofit organization overseen by many SJSU alumni and students of theater professors Buddy Butler and Ethel Walker. Arlene Segun is the executive director of SJMAG, and I have had the honor of hosting the artist guild in the library, primarily on the fifth floor, for more than 15 years.

This exhibit brings together known cultural artists and everyday community people, including teachers, students and SJSU faculty.

This year's event is dedicated to a specific person. Can you tell me more about him?

KBR: Rick Moreno was a San José born and raised cultural artist. He was a dancer, musician, painter, art framer, musical director and artist - in the entire sense of the word. He was a member of Los Lupeños de San José. For many years he worked with SJMAG in planning not only the Art of Remembrance exhibit, but also the procession and festival. Rick was the creator of the King Calavera that originally was used to lead the procession. He constructed it onsite at the park with the help of a few friends. He also created the skeleton pair that welcomes you to the exhibit on the fifth floor. And one of his last creative pieces is "Miguelito," which is also part of the exhibit.

What do you hope people get from the exhibit?

KBR:The Day of the Dead is certainly a time to remember and reflect, but it's also a time to recall the joy in life. Mourning our loved ones is difficult, but it also allows us to give thanks by giving them our time, however long that might be. And sometimes all it takes is five minutes. It is personal. With this exhibit, I hope people enjoy the art, the presentation, the conversation that the artists/creators are presenting, and also the conversation they might have with others. But I also hope that in that given moment, they too might find a corner in their home to place a picture and light, even symbolically, to remember a loved one every day.

Learn more about the Día de los Muertos festival.

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