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Cool Spring Downtown District (CSDD) is thrilled to announce a unique and creative opportunity for local artists, arts organizations, and downtown businesses as part of our Fiesta Latina 4th Friday, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. CSDD invites the local creative community to participate in *Esqueletos Creativos: A Dia de Muertos Art Challenge.
If you are interested in purchasing a skeleton for $750, please email info@coolspringfay.org or call (910) 223-1089.
If you would like to donate to relief efforts in Western NC, please use the link below. Please place in the memo line “WNC Relief.”
The Capitol Encore Academy
Under the guidance of their Art Teacher, Ms. Williams, this creative collaboration honors the rich culture and vibrancy embodied in Dia de los Muertos.
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Their concept for the animatronic skeleton is to create an alibrije in the form of a Trojan warrior representing the FTCC mascot. Along with the Trojan, They also plan to incorporate a horse and other animals from Mexican Folklore into their alebrije design. The traditional alebrije symbols and colors will be represented on the Trojan’s armor. They will incorporate beautiful patterns of marigolds, roses, and sugar skulls along the skeleton’s body and armor to represent themes from Dia de los Muertos.
Adrienne Trego
She has created a gilded skeleton, which will be created using golf leaf and an adhesive, followed by a varnish to protect the gilding from the elements. In addition to the gold, the overall colors of the design will be based on historical symbology, and will include primary colors of black (black is used on the altars to represent the Land of the Dead), as well as yellow and orange (yellow and orange are both used in this holiday to represent marigolds, the sun, and light. Marigolds are the flowers of the dead and are thought to help the deceased find their way back home due to their strong scent and bright colors). These colors are also the colors of the Monarch butterfly, which is important to notes as migrating monarchs arrive in Mexico the same time of the year, every year. Their arrival coincides with Dia De Muertos.
Lashasta Green (SOLD)
My skeleton will depict the god of the underworld Mictlantecuhtli wearing his armor with a fruit tree growing out of his body. The skull will have carvings on it that are a map to the underworld.
Mictlantecuhtli, the ancient Aztec god of the underworld, is a significant figure in Aztec mythology and religion. The Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is a Mexican holiday that honors and remembers deceased loved ones.
Elijah Brimm (SOLD)
Day of the dead is a holiday that holds importance to me due to my heritage and early life. I was surrounded by the culture for much of my life leading to an impromptu message for me being half Mexican myself. This statue pays homage to the past, it’s a farewell to my past in Detroit.
Cape Fear Studios
The concept for thier piece is Indigenous Americas and contemporary Latin American fusion. They stay within the classic themes and patterns found in ancient artwork, while bringing the piece into modern times using bold, vibrant colors celebrated by many Hispanic communities. The skull design is their spin on a sugar skull/ headdress. They also incorporated the spots of a jaguar into the rest of the skeleton to connect it with native animals celebrated by ancient cultures.
