Building Community Through the Arts celebrates Día de los Muertos

The PNW CHESS art gallery was filled to capacity as members from the community joined PNW students, faculty, and staff to celebrate Día de los Muertos on October 30, 2019. The event was part of the university’s Building Community Through the Arts program designed to reach the diverse external communities served by PNW.

Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican holiday where families honor the deceased through food, music, and fun.

Attendees of the event enjoyed traditional food, face painting, and calaveras literarias from the Miss Latina Court. Guests paid homage to the deceased with altars put together by the Spanish Club, Unidos, and the Sima Lambda Beta Fraternity. Interim associate dean Renee Conroy provided guests with the background of Día de los Muertos while continuing lecturer of Spanish Cindy Torres, provided the history of altars.

Assistant vice chancellor of art and special collections, Judy Jacobi showcased a special exhibit with works by Nicolás de Jesús, a prominent Mexican artist whose work embodies themes of Mexican rural life.

The evening closed with a live performance by Mariachi Estrellas de Chicago, a 7-piece young-adult Mariachi Band.