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For the last three weeks, two classes of Marcus Rueda’s Hollister High School art class have been designing and building ofrendas, the traditional Day of the Dead altars dedicated to the memory of deceased friends and family members.
Each of the altars the 66 students are producing has been commissioned by one of 18 Hollister downtown businesses and is carefully themed to commemorate the shop owners’ ancestors.
It is all part of “Altares on San Benito,” an annual celebration of culture, art and community reflected in the traditions of Día de los Muertos, which will take place on Nov. 1 in front of the Hollister Veterans’ Memorial Building.
Besides traditional elements such as marigolds, papel picado, alebrijes, sugar skulls and calaveras, Rueda said students have been seeking out information about who each business owner wants to honor.
“We are getting pictures from them of their loved ones,” Rueda said. “And discovering what their interests were, like finding out what they liked to eat and what they liked to do, then making those things out of clay to display on the altars.”
Country Rose requested an altar honoring former employees, and the students crafted clay bats, horseshoes, guitars and, of course, roses.
Vintage Beauty wanted to remember two favorite dogs with the things they loved, including cheese, a water bottle, and dog bones, displayed on an altar with rhinestones, flowers and pebbles.
Zach Zullo, a 17-year-old senior working on an altar for El Sabor Restaurant, enhanced his altar with arches and drawings of lit candles to represent the spirit world.
“I honestly enjoyed the creative aspect a lot,” he said. “And it was fun to go out there and talk to the businesses about what they wanted. We do have to add certain elements. But there is still a lot of creative room.”
Zullo said he hopes the people who see the altars can enjoy them as much as the businesses that commissioned them.
“For some, these are actually their family members, and I’m hoping they can feel more connected to them and honor them,” he said. “And for anyone who’s just going to the event for fun, I hope they can appreciate the art and also learn more about who these people were.”
Audacity Performing Arts Project’s Rosalinda Sanchez, who organized the event, said the students worked hard to interpret the owners’ stories via flowers, lights and the various creations made of clay or paper mache.
“Everybody will have their own interpretation or perception of what it should look like,” she said. “This is the exciting part of the project: hearing the stories from the owner’s perspective, and then doing their best to interpret it.”
Sanchez said that, beyond designing and crafting the altars, students are learning a distinct lesson in the business side of arts education.
“The students have to recruit the business partners,” she said. “They’re getting a lot of experience in what it means to have a client: speaking face to face with them, meeting deadlines, having a deliverable.”
Besides the altars on display in the businesses starting Oct. 30, the event on Nov. 1 will feature mariachis, folklorico dancers, a car show, arts and crafts, a loteria altar walk, live mural painting and a catrina fashion show.
Rocio Rosales of Five Roses Events will curate a community-based three-tier ofrenda in the plaza at the Veterans’ Memorial Building, and she encouraged attendees to bring a photo of a loved one or a card with the person’s name to contribute to the altar.
The ofrenda, Rosales said, will include seven traditional elements:
- Salt: symbolizing purification and protection for the spirit’s journey
- Water: symbolizing life, purity and quenching the thirst of traveling souls
- Marigolds: providing vibrant color and scent to guide spirits home
- Candles: symbolizing faith, hope and a guiding light
- Papel picado: symbolizing wind and air and the connection between life and death
- Pan de muerto: symbolizing nourishment and the cycle of life
- Copal (Incense): essential for spiritual cleansing
“I honestly hope people learn the true meaning of Día de los Muertos,” Rosales said. “I want them to walk away understanding what it all signifies and what each element represents. It’s a beautiful tradition, and I hope local families become involved and feel encouraged to create their own.”
Matthew Gomez, owner of The Only the Honorable Tattoo, participates in Hollister’s Trunk or Treat event, an annual Halloween-themed car show that was held on Oct. 17 at Margarite Maze Middle School.
This year, for the first time, he and other car club enthusiasts will also stage a classic car show as part of the Altares event which, Gomez said, required a slight shift in approach.
“I am more familiar with Halloween,” he said. “So we are doing something a little bit different for this event based on its themes and colors. We are going to have some cool cars and decorate our trunks to celebrate those family members who have passed.”
For Gomez, there is an emotional component as well: his Día de los Muertos trunk will honor his mother, who died eight years ago, and will be decorated with the “little knickknacks and antiques” she collected in life.
“Mom was a very helpful person,” Gomez said. “If you needed something, she was there for you. People always have something good to say about her. It’s pretty cool that I’ll be able to put something out so others would see who my mom was and remember her for what she did.”
Those memories, Gomez said, are the most important part of this event: keeping memories like his mother’s alive.
“People can be forgotten,” he said. “After you pass away, no one remembers you. I think it’s pretty cool that we can bring those memories back to the people. It’s something I can do for her, and put something out there for my family as well.”
The Altares on San Benito event takes place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 1 in front of the Hollister Veterans Memorial Hall at 649 San Benito Street. The altars will be installed in the businesses on Oct. 30.
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