35th Annual Dia de los Muertos Commemorative Print by Peter Tovar Purchase at the event for $150.00

October 11 - November 1, 2008 - FREE Dia de los Muertos Workshops
Saturdays, (check times below)

Let us come together again to celebrate our ancestors, learn to prepare a space in our homes to honor them and easy traditional Day of the Dead crafts that the whole family can do.
Everyone is invited to come to one or all of the Day of Dead workshops at Self Help Graphics beginning October 11, 2008. These classes are free to the community. Donations are welcome.

Saturday, October 11, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Procession Preparation - Paper Mache Puppet Construction.

Saturday, October 18, 12 p.m. to 3p.m.
Procession Preparation - Paper Mache Puppet Construction
Family-altar-on-a-stick
Paper Mache Mask

Saturday, October 25, 12 p.m. to 3p.m.
Procession Preparation - Paper Mache Puppet Making & Procession Virgin decorating
Family-altar-on-a-stick
Paper Mache Mask

Saturday, November 1, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Procession Preparation - Paper Mache Puppet Making & Procession Virgin decorating,
Family-altar-on-a-stick
Paper Mascara Decorating
Papel Picado
Flores de Papel
The History of Dia de los Muertos Color-me-book


CLICK HERE to see a full description & schedule of Workshops

November 1, 2008 - Noche de Ofrenda
7 :00 p.m - 9:00 p.m.

We will conclude our day of workshops with the construction of our large community Altar in Self Help Graphics ballroom. Lead by premier altar maker and community resident, Ofelia Esparza, we will be inviting particpants and guest to place their newly created offerings or those brought from home together in creating a community Altar for display throughout our Dia de los Muertos event. This inspirational and important art of traditional altar making serves as a way for the community to contribute their memories to the altar with their special tokens of remembrance.

November 2, 2008 - Dia de los Muertos Procession 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Kids get ready for the Procession! For those children who want to march in the procession, but do not have a calaca-look-join us at Self Help Graphics punctually at 2:30 p.m. to get ready. There will be a limited number of masks and free face painting prior to caravaning over to Cinco Puntos for the procession at 3:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Procession Begins! This year marks a new beginning for Self Help Graphics. We would be honored to have you join us in our annual procession from Cinco Puntos (Indiana & Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.) to the Self Help Graphics building (3802 Cesar E. Chavez Avenue & Gage). Be encouraged to bring your calaca-wear, your own artistic flavor and walk the traditional path with Self Help Graphics’ board of directors, artists, children and friends. Nos vemos alli!

A Call To Witness: All Is Not Forgotten.
Dia de los muertos exhibit, SHG Brooklyn Gallery.
November 2, 2008 - November 29, 2008
Opens November 2nd at 3:00 p.m.

Curators:
Reina Prado, Theresa Hernandez and William Borges.

In celebration of the thirty-five year tradition of the Day of the Dead at Self-Help Graphics, artists will showcase original work that addresses the theme of "A Call To Witness." The exhibition theme intends to proactively engage artists and participants to witness and share in a collective process of honoring the legacy of Self-Help Graphics.

This year's altars and installations will feature families, collectives, and artist collaborations by the Esparza Family, Flores-Norte Family, Rodriguez Family, Beltran Family, Mujeres de Maíz, and Alma Lopez & Rigo Maldonado. The exhibition will be among the several programs that bear witness to Self-Help Graphics' contribution to the cultural scene in Los Angeles.

A Call To Witness: All Is Not Forgotten opens to the public on Sunday, November 2 at 3 pm and runs through November 29, close of day. A preview of the exhibition will be held on Saturday, November 1 during the creation of the Community Altar, lead by Ofelia Esparza.

OPEN CALL for Annual Dia de los muertos exhibition
*Brooklyn Avenue Gallery - A Call To Witness: All is Not Forgotten. 2D art.
Click HERE for Guidelines for Submission & Consignment Agreement Form.

OPEN CALL
*Ode to Galleria Otra Vez - Retrospective installation that gives homage to the gallery, the artists, & the culture of SHG.
Click HERE for MORE Installation information.

Self Help Graphics & Art - Dia de los Muertos Programming
In celebration of Dia de los Muertos, Self Help Graphics and Art will be offering the following programming events Free for the community.

History & Perspective, The Importance of the Day of the Dead Celebration in the community
Discussion Guide: Consuelo Flores
Thursday, November 6th, 2008 7:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.

Event Description: What is Dia De Los Muertos? Where did it come from and when did it begin? Why is it so important to the Chicano/a community? Why is it growing in popularity? Consuelo Flores will guide attendees through an engaging cultural discussion with Sybil Venegas, art historian, writer and educator at East Los Angeles College; Karen Mary Davalos, Associate Professor of Chicano/a Studies at Loyola Marymount; and Reyes Rodriguez, artist and owner of Tropico De Nopal Gallery. Through this discussion, the audience will visit historical and contemporary markers in the development and celebration of the Day of the Dead from Mictlan to Tenochtitlan to present-day Aztlan. Don't miss your opportunity to know the origins, become aware and fully celebrate the festivities! Pan de muerto will be served.


20th Anniversary screening of "La Ofrenda" by Lourdes Portillo,
In collaboration with Cine Sin Fin
Thursday, November 13th, 2008 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Event Description: "La Ofrenda: The Days of the Dead" by Lourdes Portillo and Susana Munoz
will be shown. Tracing the roots and cultural significance of the Days of the Dead, both in Mexico's
ancient Indian temples to present day celebrations in the United States.


Inspiration House Poetry Choir: Days of the Dead Edition
Curated by Peter J. Harris
Thursday, November 20th, 2008 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Event Description: In celebration of Self-Help Graphics thirty-five year tradition of Days of the Dead in Los Angeles, Peter J. Harris, former producer/host of "Inspiration House: VoiceMusic for Whole Living," which aired from 1999 to 2004 on KPFK-FM, Pacifica Radio for southern California, brings together vibrant poets and improvisational musicians for an evening of Inspiration House PoetryChoir. This performance will feature "Chola con Cello" - Maria Elena Gaitan, who has been working with Harris in Black/Brown Dialogue performances at Avenue 50 Studio during 2008. We invite audiences to witness this dynamic exchange of poets and musicians listening and responding, poems-on-poems, musicians interlaced with spoken word, leading to both powerful communion and virtuoso solos. In the tra

dition of call and response, audiences at PoetryChoir performances are encouraged to respond spontaneously - with shouts of encouragement, amens and affirmation - to the skill of the poets and musicians, stitching their voices into the dialogue, and helping to produce a testament to whole living.

Dia de los muertos at SHG Press Self Help Graphics Day of the Dead Event in KidsLA Magazine