Celebrate Dia De Los Muertos With A Masquerade Ball

Photos courtesy of BRDG Project

BRDG Project, in close partnership with curator, friend, and neighbor Arlette Lucero, is bringing a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration back to the Northside! The event includes an art exhibition featuring 30 of the finest local artists from Denver’s Chicano(a) community as well as Calaveras Masquerade Ball! The art show opens with a free public reception on Oct 11, 5-9 pm and runs through Nov 2, 2024. The Calaveras Masquerade Ball is a ticketed event, held Friday, Oct 25, 7-11 pm with live music, dancing, face painting, storytelling and other delights!

Los El Peez | Carlos Fresquez

Denver’s Dia de los Muertos celebration was first hosted in the 1980s at Pirate Gallery on Navajo St. with art, altars and piñatas. CHAC Gallery and Museo de las Americas quickly followed, introducing the sacred ceremonies of Aztec Dancers. Currently, Dia de los Muertos is celebrated as much as Halloween in many cities across Colorado and the nation. The art show and ball bring the tradition back to the Northside in a new and exciting way to include a wider audience and a variety of ages and identities.

Together | Karen Yust

“I am so excited to bring the Dia de los Muertos Art Show back to my Northside neighborhood where it all began.” Says Lucero, “This neighborhood has changed so much over the years with gentrification. In this way, we are honoring the past traditions of this area. We are showing the art of some of our finest from our Chicano(a) community. The Calaveras Ball is something I hope will become a new way to celebrate for years to come.”

Dia de los Muertos Art Show

October 11- November 2, 2024

Opening Reception: Oct 11, 5-9 pm

Exhibiting Artists: Al Cardenas, Angela Ramirez, Anthony La Combe, Arlette Lucero, Benjamin Kelly, Cal Duran, Carlos Fresquez, Danielle Ramos, David Martinez, Esmeralda Patino, Frank Zamora, Holly Wasinger, Javier Flores, Jerry Rael, Josiah Lopez, Judy Miranda, Karen Yust, Mark Martinez Luna, Quinton Gonzalez, Rob Yancy, Shantel Lucero, Shay Guerrero, Sylvia Montero, Tammy Yancy and Tony Ortega.

Speak With The Living | Holly Wasinger

Calaveras Masquerade Ball

Friday, October 25, 7-11 p.m.

Dress in your best as the living or dead! Enjoy music from the Taco Cats, Cipriano, and DJ Ramirez as well as food, drink, dancing, face painting and storytelling. Traditionalists are encouraged to join the festivities and welcome others to gain an appreciation of this celebration.

Tickets to the ball are available for purchase via brdgcalaverasball.eventbrite.com or via the link here.

The ball will also serve as a fundraiser to benefit the BRDG Project as a non-profit gallery whose mission is to bring local, artist-driven, and thought-provoking arts to the heart of Denver’s shifting neighborhoods by bridging artists, gallery, youth, and underserved communities together in an accessible and engaging space for contemporary expression and learning.

La Visita De Losmuertos | Tony Ortega

Arlette Lucero has taught art education for over twenty-five years in Colorado and is an active volunteer and current member at Art Contained del Sol. Lucero also has over 30 years of experience as a fine artist, professional graphic artist, children’s book illustrator, and Chicana craftanista. She has been involved with a number of local nonprofits as a Mentor Teacher Artist, bringing her into many schools, libraries and recreational facilities.

Spiritual Sheild | Jerry Rael

Dia de los Muertos acknowledges the symbiotic relationship between life and death and is officially observed on November 1^st and 2nd, in which the spirits of the dead are believed to return home and spend time with their relatives on these two days. According to MexicanMusuem.org “Day of the Dead has its origins in the rituals practiced by the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Its precedents date to more than 3000 years ago when the Olmecs and subsequent Toltecs, Mixtecs, Zapotecs, Maya, and Aztecs honored death.”