8th grade 2007: El Dia de los Muertos

After students studied the proportions of the skull to help them create watercolor self-portraits, we started studing the proportions of the whole skeleton to prepare for a large-scale sculpture unit (see: proportion). 8th graders learned how to sight-measure these complex proportions and how to see and record negative space when drawing the skeleton from observation.

Students then enjoyed using props such as guitars, umbrellas and mandolins to strike an action pose while classmates recorded the essence of the pose in a quick vine charcoal gesture drawing . The essence of a gesture drawing is speed. Some can be as long as five minutes but many are recorded in seconds!. Students were asked to think of where the weight of the pose was in the figure and where the thrust of the action was. I also asked them to think of a “Slinky” toy and encouraged them to use a quick, searching line that appeared to loop around the body, suggesting its form.

From gesture drawing, it was a natural shift to talk about making a wire armature for the small calavera (skeleton) toy they were each about to make. To inspire our design decisions, we studied the Mexican cultural celebration of El dia de los Muertos – the day of the dead. Beginning around October 30 and lasting untill November 1, this celebration honors the memory of loved ones who have passed on before us. With roots in ancient Aztec culture and belief, it is said that this is the time of year when the ‘veil between the worlds’ is at its thinnest. Families create altars in their homes with candles, marigold flowers, cut paper and the favorite foods of their departed loved ones to honor them. It is thought that the aromas of their favorite foods “feeds” their spirits.

Families also tend the graveyards, clean the stones, bring marigolds and food, light candles and gather together at night to sing songs, play guitar, tell stories and honor the past and the people they love.

Children and adults alike may dress up, participate in parades and give and recieve sugar skulls and ‘bread of the dead“.

While many of these traditions may seem strange, different or even morbid to people unaccustomed to them, it is not at all unlike the American holiday of Halloween. We dress as ghosts and ghoulies, exchange and eat candy, watch scary movies and make a fun celebration out of what could normally be a scary or serious issue.

The 8th graders used paper mache to cover their wire and paper armature of their small skeleton toys. We looked at some of the skeleton toys created in Mexico as well as the prints by Jose Guadalupe Posada for ideas and inspiration.

After completing their individual skeletons, each 8th grade class worked collaboratively to create one life-sized skeleton for a total of 2 big skeletons. This was a big undertakink that required a good deal of planning and teamwork on their part. Students signed up to scupt individual sections of bone, skull or accessories. Using wire snips and pliers, students fashioned armatures from chicken wire and covered the structures with three layers of papier-mâché. Once dry, the papered surface was painted and decorated. Students created the hands and feet with aluminum that they repoussaged and inked for texture and contrast. All of the parts were wired together to create each skeleton. One class researched the specs of a 1962 Gibson guitar for their skeleton. The other class worked together to create a sombrero that fit onto the skull.

Students created the traditional papel picado or cut paper flags and the tissue paper flowers that so often accompany day of the dead decorations. Each student was involved in the installation process of all of their artwork in the hallway gallery space. Opening day was on November 1st, el dia de los muertos!