Day of the Dead | Gaston Design, Inc.

Dia de Muertos

Mexico and Latin America celebrate the Catholic observance of All Souls’ Day in a way unlike anywhere else in the Catholic world. Better known as Día de Muertos (the Day of the Dead), it is one of the most important celebrations in the yearly cycle. Día de Muertos in Mexico fuses the Christian holiday with indigenous rituals and celebrations honoring the deceased from pre-Hispanic times.

While Europeans often visit cemeteries on All Souls’ Day to remember loved ones, in Mexico, the occasion is viewed as a time when the souls of the dead actually return. Families prepare an ofrenda, or offering table, with food, gifts, and decorations to welcome these visitors. Ofrendas range from simple to elaborate, depending on the family’s resources and location.

In Mexico, the urban and rural observances of Día de Muertos can be very different experiences. Celebrations in larger cities often have a more playful, festive air, with parades and parties, while those in rural communities are more closely tied to ancestral beliefs and usually follow strict observance protocols.

THE ART OF THE DEAD

Mexican and Latin American popular art treats death as a complementary part of life. This view originates in pre-Hispanic cultures, where death was seen as an evolution toward the eternal.

Historically, European art typically portrays death as a final state or as a living entity only as the Grim Reaper. In contrast, Mexican art uniquely blends scenes of the living and the dead. Here, the dead are depicted as fully animated in a parallel existence, continuing the activities of their former lives. Skeletons dance, drink, and make love for eternity.

These eternal beings appear in a wide variety of artistic media, from skulls and sugar offerings (Alfeñique) to Papier-mâché (Cartoneria) skeletons; much of the art of Día de Muertos can be traced back to pre-Hispanic and colonial times.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, these art forms inspired printmakers like Manuel Manilla and José Guadalupe Posada. Their lifelike skeletons and the iconic Catrina established the imagery now associated with Día de Muertos.

Claudio Jimenez

Salvador Ventureño Solis

Lives of the Dead:

The Day of the Dead in Mexican and Latin American art

Guests will explore the vibrant world of Día de Muertos through a curated collection of two- and three-dimensional artwork. Spanning from early pre-Hispanic cultures to the 21st century, Lives of the Dead presents 1,000 years of artistic interpretations of the dead. The exhibition highlights both contemporary and traditional Latin American folk art, featuring papier-mâché (cartonería) skulls and skeletons by the renowned Linares family, as well as ceramic tableaux and Catrinas from Metepec.

Additional highlights include antique prints by José Guadalupe Posada and Manuel Manilla, along with contemporary Mexican paintings and prints inspired by Día de Muertos.

Visitors will also experience the traditions and beliefs of Día de Muertos through two elaborate Mexican-style ofrendas.

Felipe Linares

Carlos Arturo Hernández Dávila

THEMES

– Death vs. the dead

– The dead in the pre-Hispanic Americas

– The ofrenda in Mexico

– Cartoneria of Mexico City

– Manilla, Posada and Día de Muertos in 2D art

– Peruvian retablos

– Alfenique

– The dead in miniature

SPECIFICATIONS

– Approximately 1,000-3,500 sq. ft.

– 10-12 foot minimum ceiling height recommended

– Recommended 2 month minimum rental

PRICING

Affordable rates with transportation included; please inquire.

TO BE PROVIDED BY THE HOSTING VENUE

– Lights and barriers

– Heavy equipment required for access, installation and dismantling

– Storage facilities for transport cases

– Promotion and publicity

– Staffing during exhibition run

CARTONERIA (Papier-mâché) ARTISTS

– Pedro Linares

– Ricardo Linares

– Felipe Linares

– Leonardo Linares

– Enrique Linares

– Miguel Linares

– Ignacio Rojas

– Raul Lopez

– Los Ramirez Castaneda

– Antonio Joel Garcia

– Pedro Linares

WOOD

– Panteleone Ruiz

– Venustiano Tenorio Reyes

– Rafael Mesa Olivia

– Carolina & Jesus Sosa Santiago

CERAMICS

– Carlomagno Pedro Martinez

– Cecilio Sanchez Fierro

– Gerardo Acia

– Gorky González

– Asael Castillo Serrano

– Javier Ramos Lucano

– Javier Martinez Mendez

– Gabriela Perez Martinez

– Montesinos

– Guillermo Serrano Gutierrez

METAL

– Pierre Davens

STONE

– Salvador Ventureño Solis

BONE

– Jose Manuel Ruiz

– Roberto Abraham Ruiz

PAPEL PICADO

– J. Jesus Morales Torres

ALFENIQUE

– Jose Ignacio Gonzáles Quinzaños

– Casa Zarco

MIXED MEDIA

– Vincenta Flores

– Claudio Jimenez

– Angel Torijas

– Claudio Jimenez Quispe

– Elisa Uribe

– Santiago Carrillo Loza

– Guada Carrillo

2D ARTISTS

– Artemio Rodriguez

– Alex Meza

– Jose Guadalupe Posada

– Eduardo Robledo

– Dario Castillejos

– L. Barragan

– Daniel Hernandez

– Mario Guzman / Gallery Subterráneos

– Ivan Bautista

– Adrian Olmedo Sanchez

– Gallery Subterráneos

– Jonathan Badillo Martinez

– Samael Aguero Sanchez

– Carlos Hernandez Davila

– Leopoldo Mendez

– Manuel Alfonso Manilla

– Artemio Rodriguez

– Ivan Bautista

– El Pinch Grabador

– Daniel Montelliano Herrera

Gaston Design is proud to present our two latest traveling exhibitions, Lives of the Dead and Mexican Roots, curated by Maria Elisa Uribe.

Elisa, born in Guadalajara, Mexico, has been passionate about Mexican art and design since childhood. She holds art degrees from the University Autonomous of Guadalajara and Colorado Mesa University. With over 35 years of experience as an artist, designer, and educator, she has participated in numerous exhibitions and received several awards.

Elisa draws inspiration from nature and Mexican culture, stating, “My work is tied to my culture, traditions, and beliefs like a tree rooted to the earth.”

Día de Muertos preparations, ca. 1981, Patamban, Michoacán, México

María Elisa Uribe

Artemio Rodriguez

ABOUT GDI

Gaston Design specializes in paleontology restorations, & traveling exhibits. Gaston Design Inc (GDI) was created in 1996, after founder Robert Gaston discovered the dinosaur Gastonia, named in his honor. Over the last 25 years GDI has reconstructed many newly discovered dinosaur skeletons for leading paleontological institutions. Since 2017, GDI has expanded beyond paleontology work producing cultural and natural history traveling exhibits .

SERVICES

Gaston Design Inc (GDI) specializes in the restoration, molding, and casting of fossil skeletons, as well as gift shop lines of smaller paleontological replicas (teeth, claws, skulls, etc.). In addition to cast replicas, Gaston Design offers museum services such as skeleton mounting, exhibit design and construction, and traveling exhibits.

MUSEUMS

Gaston Design Inc’s works is on display, or in the collections and gift shops of many museums world-wide. Some of these include the following;

Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Utah Museum of Natural History

The Smithsonian Institution

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Science, Tokyo, Japan

The Field Museum, Chicago, IL

Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario, Canada

Museo Del Desierto, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico

American Museum of Natural History