2008 Woodie Awards
ASU museum to celebrate Day of the Dead
Sarah Campbell
Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: News
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This celebration will take place Friday, Nov. 2, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will be held in the museum's main gallery, which is on the second floor of the Dean B. Ellis Library. The event is free and open to both the public and those involved with the university.
"We hope to have families from all different cultures celebrating this ancient tradition that began with the Aztecs and the Mayans in Mexico," Lenore Shoults, assistant director of the ASU museum and heritage studies Ph.D. student, said.
Over the years Día de los Muertos melded with Christianity and is now observed in many different countries around the globe. A time to remember those who have passed away is common to most cultures and usually involves food and flowers. Alteration in dances and the type of food make Día de los Muertos culturally different from similar practices in other cultures.
Activities at the museum tomorrow include hands-on children's crafts, music by troubadour Ricardo J. Puello and refreshments. Spanish translators will also be present.
In addition a new Spanish audio iPod tour of Old Town will be exhibited during Día de los Muertos. The tour delves into what life was like in a small Arkansas town during the late 1800s and early 1900s and includes sound effects of trains, horses and wagons.
Alex Brown, professor of radio-tv, engineered the tour, and Shoults produced and edited it. Melany Bowman of the heritage studies Ph.D. program both translated and narrated the tour. The tour is free, available in English and approximately 13 minutes long.
Children are always significant in the observation of Día de los Muertos, and many of the festivities are geared toward kids. The ASU museum has, therefore, made the Day of the Dead a special Kids' Quest event. This designation allows children ages 5 to12 to sign up for the free Kids' Quest club. Each child who signs up will receive a newsletter, a T-shirt and other items from the Arkansas Discovery Network of museums. Those interested can register for the Kids' Quest club at Día de los Muertos or by visiting www.arkansasdiscoverynetwork.org
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