Ofrenda translates to the word "offering" and refers to a home altar paying respects to people who have passed away. Ofrendas are usually set up during Dia De Los Muertos, which takes place the first two days of November.
This is the fifth year the ofrenda has been displayed at The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, which is located on the Utah State University campus. It's been up since Oct. 21 and will be on display until Nov. 8. It consists of flowers, prosthetic food, lights, candles, marigolds, and photographs.
“I think that they will get this sentiment of what it means for all of us, not only for me, but for all of us. This brief moment in which we connect with the dead ones,” Maria Luisa Spicer-Escalante, professor of linguistics and Spanish at USU said.
The items belong to her and the photographs were taken by her husband, J.P. Spicer-Escalante, a professor of Hispanic studies at USU.
The Escalantes are currently in Mexico City where JP is working on a project called “In Search of Mexico.”
“I'm trying to capture this combination of tradition, especially around the Day of the Dead, with the fact that it's become a globalized spectacle, a globalized event. So a lot of work in public performance of cultural rights, especially with respect to the Day of the Dead,” JP Escalante said.
Events this week include a lecture from Antonio Cruz Santos at the museum at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 30, and a parade on Friday, Nov. 1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The parade will go from the Mehdi Heravi Global Teaching and Learning Center to the Museum, where hot chocolate and pan de muerto will be served.
“I invite everyone to look at it through that prism because this way our loved ones are never really gone. They're always with us in our hearts. If our ofrenda and the images help people think about things along those lines, that makes me very happy,” JP said.
