Students taking Mr. Wipplinger’s Tech Theatre classes have been involved in a collaborative project with the Museum of Native American History (MONAH) in Bentonville. The Museum hosts an annual Dia de los Muertos event of which Arkansas Arts Academy has contributed each year. For this year’s event students in Mr. Wipplinger’s Stage Craft and Explorations in Theatre classes have been creating traditional masks and sugar skulls for the Mesoamerican “Day of the Dead” celebration. The lessons began in September with Mr. Jones offering an arts integration presentation about the history and differences between Dia de los Muertos and All Soul’s Day. Students learned that while the two celebrations have some similarities and take place at the same time of the year, Dia de los Muertos is an ancient practice originating with the indigenous people from present day Mexico and Central American countries. Students were informed about the religious rituals as well as cultural iconography and symbolism. With this knowledge, students then created masks and sugar skulls with traditional colors and symbols. The embellished masks and skulls are part of the community offerenda (altar), at the Museum.
Everyone is invited to join in the celebration at MONAH. Dia de los Muertos: Celebrating Life, Honoring Memories is the title of the event and honors all individuals in the healthcare profession that fell victim to COVID during the pandemic. The event is family friendly and takes place this Saturday, October 30th from 10 am – 5 pm at the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville. There will be art, music, dancing and food. To see a schedule of events and more information about the celebration visit:
https://www.monah.us/diadelosmuertos
