TOUR: Mission Historical Museum Annex
“Day of the Dead” exhibit

Saturday, November 7, 2009 was a full day of tours and events. So by the tail end of the afternoon (and we had two events that evening), I just didn’t think anything would be that remarkable, though I have to admit, everything we saw and did at the chapter meeting last fall has stayed with me, for the good.

It was a small museum, comprised of two buildings, converted from city offices. The larger building was closed, but that it where the main exhibits area is. Here is an online tour of their permanent collection.
http://www.missiontexas.us/pdfs/museumpowerpoint.pdf

The smaller building, the annex, was formerly the Mission post office. It contained a couple of wall murals, one of recent vintage, and one created as part of the WPA post office mural by a Spanish (from Spain) artist, Xavier Gonzales. It was called “West Texas Landscape,” done probably sometime in the 1940s.

But the main part of the building contained 6 large “Day of the Dead” (we were there just after All Souls day) exhibits or “altares.” These are altars, are set up and decorated to honor a friend or family member who has passed away. This art form mimics the Mexican custom of taking gifts and food to the cemetery, in memory of, and to commemorate , departed loved ones, on All Souls Day (November 2).
The altares are set up with food, candy, gifts, and items of cherished meaning to the departed. If intended to commemorate an individual, a photograph of the loved one is often included.

This type of large, in-door art installation is a relatively new art form, and has gained in popularity in the U.S. over the past few decades. Traditionally, in Mexican and Mexican-American homes, photographs, floral arrangements and lighted candles would be place on top of a table or piece of furniture, arranged as a small shrine or altar, to commemorate departed family members. They were referred to as “altares.” I recall seeing this type of installation, as an art piece, in the early 1970s, when the Houston Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) opened their “Dále Gas” exhibit. I just thought it was something Hispanic families did, I had never thought of them as an art form. These contemporary “altares” that we saw in Mission, are a combination of the small family shrine (that was pretty much a permanent exhibit in your home) with the more anthropological “Dia de los Muertos” or All Souls Day cemetery visits and celebrations.

The museum’s Director, Adela Ortega gave us a lovely talk and powerpoint presentation of her version of the history of “Day of the Dead” altares.

Submitted by Selene Hinojosa