ASU Museum to celebrate Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead

Oct. 24, 2007 -- Arkansas State University celebrates cultural diversity as the ASU Museum invites everyone to its next event, Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, on Friday, Nov. 2, from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. The celebration will be held in the museum’s main gallery, on the second floor of the Dean B. Ellis Library/Museum building. 

Free and open to the public and university communities, this family event includes hands-on children’s crafts, music by troubadour Ricardo J. Puello, refreshments, and surprises. An ancient tradition originating with the Aztec and Maya, Día de los Muertos melded with Christianity in Mexico and led to a rich cultural celebration now practiced in many countries. Food, beverages, flowers, and a time to remember the dead are common in all countries, and variations in dance and food favorites make each culture’s celebration unique.

Children always participate in the observation of Día de los Muertos, however. The ASU Museum has marked its Día de los Muertos celebration as a special Kids’ Quest event. This entitles children ages 5–12 to sign up for the free Kids’ Quest club and receive a newsletter, T-shirt, and other free goodies from the Arkansas Discovery Network of museums. Register for this free club during the Día de los Muertos celebration, or by visiting www.arkansasdiscoverynetwork.org.

A new Spanish audio iPod tour of Old Town will also open during the Día de los Muertos celebration. Translated and narrated by Melany Bowman of the ASU Heritage Studies PhD program, the tour was engineered by Alex Brown, of the faculty of the College of Communications, and produced and edited by Lenore Shoults, assistant director of the ASU Museum and Heritage Studies PhD student. The iPod tour details life in a small Arkansas town in the late 1800s–early 1900s, complete with sounds of trains, horses, and wagons. Also available in English, the tour is free and lasts approximately 13 minutes.

Join the staff of the ASU Museum and people from many backgrounds to celebrate Día de los Muertos, an evening of fun and festivities for all. Experience one of the oldest, most intriguing, and richly diverse customs celebrated by many Spanish-speaking people who now call Northeast Arkansas home. Parking is plentiful, Spanish translators will be available, and all are welcome.

The ASU Museum is located off of University Loop, accessible from either Caraway Road or Stadium Boulevard. Look for the library clock tower, and park in the large lot. For more information, please visit the ASU Museum Website at http://museum.astate.edu, or call Lenore Shoults at 870-972-2074.

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