The Tree of Life and Death: Días de los Muertos 2013

The 19th annual Días de los Muertos exhibition fuses themes of life, death, and mourning with explorations of our natural environment.

October 9–December 15, 2013

The Mesoamerican tradition of Días de los Muertos, celebrated between October 31 and November 2, is associated with iconic elements—sugar skulls, marigolds, colorful ofrendas—arranged or created to honor deceased loved ones. This fall, OMCA presents its 19th annual Días de los Muertos exhibition, The Tree of Life and Death: Días de los Muertos 2013, guest curated by renowned muralist Eduardo Pineda, and project managed by Senior Experience Developer Evenlyn Orantes. Housed in the transformed Gallery of California Natural Sciences, installations by guest artists fuse the themes of life, death, and mourning with ecology, focusing on topics including indigenous knowledge, empathy, habitat and species loss, and accountability for preventing such losses through conservation and action.

OMCA’s 19th Annual Community Celebration for the Days of the Dead is on Sunday, October 27, 2013.
View the Schedule

Supporters

The Tree of Life and Death: Días de los Muertos 2013 is made possible in part by generous support from Kaiser Permanente and the Oakland Museum Women’s Board. OMCA Family is made possible in part by Chevron and the Institute of Library and Museum Services.

Kaiser Permanente    Oakland Museum Women's Board     Oaklandish

Media Partners:   Oakland Tribune    East Bay Express   El Mensajero    Univision 100.3FM

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Samuel Rodriguez, Tree of Life and Death, 2013. Courtesy of the artist.
Ernesto Hernandez Olmos, Xochincua'huitl (Flowering Tree), 2013. In the exhibition The Tree of Life and Death: Días de los Muertos 2013, on view in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences at the Oakland Museum of California. Photo: Ace Lehner.
Jose Enrique Ortiz in collaboration with La Escuelita Elementary, Celebration of Life, 2013. In the exhibition The Tree of Life and Death: Días de los Muertos 2013, on view in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences at the Oakland Museum of California. Photo: Ace Lehner.
Rubén Guzmán, Miguel Chacón, and Shayna Hirschfield, The Giving Tree, 2013. In the exhibition The Tree of Life and Death: Días de los Muertos 2013, on view in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences at the Oakland Museum of California. Photo: Ace Lehner.
A mother and her child put together a miniature altar, one of several interactive elements in the exhibition The Tree of Life and Death: Días de los Muertos 2013, on view in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences at the Oakland Museum of California. Photo: Ace Lehner.