Francis Lewis art students created an art exhibit about the Dia de los Muertos during the week of Halloween in the school lobby to celebrate the Mexican tradition.
“The meaning behind the art exhibit is about the celebration of people’s lives, and here in Francis Lewis, it makes the community feel connected and involved,” art teacher Mr. Lee said. “The students can express themselves through the art they create and can all feel connected in a way.”
“I found inspiration for casting the hands online and I thought the students would love it and that it would be a way to get the students to work together,” Mr. Lee added. “I felt like it was a creative way to represent all the people who passed away and that we wanted to celebrate them.”
Dia de los Muertos is a tradition celebrated from October 31 to November 2 that originated in Mexico. It represents all the past loved ones and how their families honor and remember them.
“The students had a choice to either cast their hand, or decorate a face mask,” Mr. Lee said. “Most of the students chose to cast their hands, which I was surprised by because of the messy process. They used medical wrap covered in mod podge to cast the hands. They would cut it into strips and then dip it into the mod podge. Then they wrapped it around one another’s hands and waited for it to dry.”
“Some of the cast didn’t make it because they broke while being taken off,” Mr. Lee added. “After the cast were completely dry, the students had the freedom to decorate the casts however they wanted.”
Art students enjoyed the process and the sense of community they experienced during the project.
“We had cloth and mod podge and wrapped it around our hands,” art student Marie Romano said. “The making process was really messy, but it was fun. I made new friends with the other students I was working with. Once the cast dried it was really hard to pull off.”
People can celebrate the tradition by spreading the petals of marigold flowers as a passageway for the deceased to follow and attract departed souls as they feast on their favorite foods.
“I painted my cast with flowers and grass,” Romano said. “It was the first thing that came to my mind and I learned that flowers are used to celebrate life.”
Students passing by in the lobby found the exhibit to be intriguing and wanted to learn more about the celebration.
“I felt curios when I first saw the art exhibit because I was trying to figure out what it was and what it represented,” Francis Lewis student Alyssa Miraglia said. “I read the paper that was on the display, and it said that the family members that passed away reunite with the living one, and children and adults have separate days to do so.
“They decorate with flowers, candles, food and drinks. I also learned that skeletons are a big symbols for this tradition,” Miraglia added. “The Dia de los Muertos tradition lasts for a couple days rather than just one, like most holidays.”