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 Mexic-Arte Museum
presents
Viva la Vida Fest 2010
27th Annual
Día de los Muertos
Saturday, October 23, 2010
2:00-10:00 PM
5th Street
(between Congress & Brazos)
FREE Admission
Grand Procession
6:00-7:00 PM
(gathers at Plaza Saltillo at 5 PM)
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WE WANT YOU!
Participate in Viva la Vida Fest 2010:
Procession - walk or bike in the Procession from Saltillo Plaza to 5th and Congress in costume, with a prop/float, or both!
Altars - create your own tribute to lost family, friends, or heroes. You can build as an individual or group.
Volunteer - help set up or clean up, assist with art activities or the procession, and much more.
Downloadable registration forms will be available soon! If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact info@mexic-artemuseum.org or (512) 480-9373 x84.
If you are an individual or a representative of a community organization or local business, and you'd like to participate as a sponsor or vendor, please contact Alexandra Landeros at (512) 480-9373 x84 or e-mail pr@mexic-artemuseum.org for details.
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Mexic-Arte Museum, the Official Mexican and Mexican American Fine Art Museum of Texas, will be celebrating its 26th Annual Día de los Muertos – Austin’s largest and longest-running Day of the Dead festival featuring Latino artists and entertainment, an exhibition, and educational programs in the heart of downtown. Part of the proceeds will benefit the Museum's education programs.
This year, Mexic-Arte Museum will present Día de los Muertos as Viva la Vida Fest to celebrate life and our environment through art and culture. Mexic-Arte Museum’s Viva la Vida Fest brings together a diversity of people in Austin to pay homage to friends, family, and heroes. The festival features an exhibition of community altars, contemporary art, and pre-Columbian funeral art from West Mexico, education programs, a grand procession with costumes and props, and a street celebration with traditional foods, hands-on art activities, artist demos, local retail booths, live music and performances.
To make the festival eco-friendly this year, Mexic-Arte Museum is encouraging all participating artists and festival-goers to create their work out of recycled, re-used, and sustainable materials. The Museum is also committed to leaving a smaller footprint on the environment by reducing waste and minimizing energy wasted. The event will not only encourage artistic creations, but will also promote eco-friendly living, healthy eating, and exercise through cycling and walking. A free bicycle valet service will be available on site.
We are also adding a new component that honors Austin’s community builders – families who have been here for many generations – and pays tribute to the legacy of members of our city who have contributed to making Austin what it is today. Mexic-Arte Museum will invite these community members to create tributes to their family histories, both in the community altars exhibition and in the procession.
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CYCLISTS
As Mexic-Arte Museum is encouraging all Viva la Vida Fest attendees to ride their bicycles (it's good for your health, and good for the environment!), Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop will be providing FREE bike valet service at Congress Avenue and 5th Street. Please watch for them at the main entrance to the festival.
BUS-RIDERS
There is a Capital Metro bus stop at the corner of
Mexic-Arte Museum. Please check their website, www.capmetro.org, for
route information.
DRIVERS
There are several options available for those arriving by car:
1) pay-as-you go metered parking on the streets
2) garage parking at Perry Brooks garage at 9th & Brazos, Capitol Tower garage, at 9th & San Jacinto, and Littlefield garage on 6th Street, just east of Congress Ave.
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For 25 years, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) has been Mexic-Arte Museum’s annual signature event in the Austin community. Día de los Muertos is an important Latin American tradition, taking place on November 2, when friends and family gather to honor and remember loved ones – not through mourning, but through celebration! The origins trace back to the Pre-Columbian era, when death was viewed as a transformation. Death was not seen as the final end, but rather as a cycle or continuation of life. This ancient belief evolved to the modern tradition of creating altars to commemorate loved ones, decorated with sugar skulls, flowers, photographs, and favorite foods and memorabilia of the deceased. They share stories and memories, and they sing songs and play music.
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 | The street festival features traditional and contemporary food and art booths, children's art activities, artist demonstrations, live music and dance performances, non-profit arts organizations and health information booths, and large-scale props for perfect picture-taking opportunities!
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The Grand Procession gathers at 5:00 PM at Plaza Saltillo in East Austin, bringing together a vibrant and varied mix of the traditional, contemporary, and Austin “weird.” The Procession – including costumes, props, live music, dancers, and floats – marches down historic 6th Street and culminates at 5th and Congress, marking the transition from the afternoon to the exciting evening portion of the street festival. The following are the main categories:
- Pre-Columbian Americas: Refers to the time period when indigenous civilizations flourished in the Americas, such as the Aztec, Maya, Toltec, Olmec, Mixtec, and Inca. During these times, death was not feared, but rather celebrated and ritualized. Life, full of uncertainty and hardship, was a passage or journey to a heavenly afterlife.
- Colonial Mexico: Marked by the Rule of the Spanish Viceroys in Mexico and the position and power of the Roman Catholic Church. In accordance with Catholic mourning practices, All Saints Day was merged with Day of the Dead to become a time to honor and remember loved ones who have passed. The tradition evolved to incorporate Catholic imagery and became a way to welcome back the spirits and celebrate their brief return to the earthly world.
- Modern Mexico: Marked by the beginning of Porfirio Díaz’ rule in Mexico, resulting in the creation of a new Mexican national identity based on its Pre-Columbian past and manifested in Mexico’s modern arts. In 1913, José Guadalupe Posada created a famous print called "La Calavera de la Catrina" as a parody of a Mexican upper class female. In addition to the indigenous and Catholic traditions, the satirical and mocking portrayal of death in the form of a skeleton since has become associated with Day of the Dead.
- Contemporary – Mexico meets United States: Happening now in Austin! Be part of history and help us create a new fusion of Mexican Día de los Muertos and American Halloween traditions.
- Families of Austin: Honors Austin’s community builders – families that have been here for many generations – and pays tribute to the legacy of members of our city who have contributed to making Austin what it is today.
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