Vivid colors, photos, candy skulls, bright tapestries and personal mementos draw you into the stories. Stories of young people who have met their fate in a car wreck, a beloved civic leader’s work to send fire trucks to Yakima’s sister city of Morelia, and Pilipino-Americans who were some of the original farm workers in the valley. They are beautiful and touching celebrations of the lives led by people in the community of Yakima.
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Detail of Dia de los Muertos altar |
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The altars (Ofrendas) are the centerpiece for Festival Día de los Muertos, both a large community altar and smaller ones created by individuals and groups. In addition special events were a farmers' market, a concert featuring pianist Gerardo Sánchez Lara of Conservatorio de las Rosas, Morelia, and a Veterans Day parade. This is the second year of the program and it is growing. Last year there were eleven altars and this year 26 altars were decorated by a variety of local groups.
In the Art Participation Initiative program we are thinking of ways to deepen, broaden and diversify participants. We define participants as visitor / audience members, artist / producers and supporters / volunteers. In each of these groups Yakima Symphony Orchestra (YSO) and all the associated groups are working towards deepening, broadening and diversifying. People are participating on many levels in meaningful ways. The Yakima Valley is home to a large population of immigrants who have roots in Mexico. Many come from the state of Michoacán whose capital city is Morelia, Sister City to Yakima. They are not the traditional audience for YSO, so they are reaching out and making new connections.
The barriers to participation were steep the first year. People questioned the whole idea of the translation, “Day of the Dead.” Margaret Luera, the project coordinator, talked extensively to people individually to educate them about the tradition. That it is a celebration for ones who have passed on that is meant to be colorful and fun. The history goes back 5,000 years and is celebrated in some form all over the world. The exhibit is all about making connections, celebrating life and honoring those who have passed on.
Several trips to Morelia by Yakima citizens over the past four years planted the seed for this celebration. The group included Brooke Creswell (Music Director and Conductor of the Yakima Symphony) Noel Moxley, (Executive Director of the Symphony), Margaret Luera (festival coordinator), Daniel DeSiga (artist / gallery owner) and Xochitl DeSiga (coordinator for after school programs and parent education at Garfield Elementary School). The idea came forward to bring Día de los Muertos to Yakima. Yakima Symphony wrote the grants to secure funding from the Washington State Arts Commission and The Kinsman Foundation but the committee operates on its own and in the future will secure more sources of funding.
Brooke, Noel, Margaret and Daniel are what Alan Brown (speaker at the Fall API training) would call initiators. They have both the talent and energy to make something happen. Each of them has ties to the community in multiple ways and through multiple groups. This has helped the festival to be inclusive of many groups and ideas. The festival is their enormous gift to the community.
There is a conscious intention in their decision to have the altars downtown. Yakima is a city that lost its downtown mall to Union Gap (adjoining suburban town) and shopping centers right near downtown that house Wal-Mart and Target stores. There isn't a whole lot going on downtown: some restaurants, the Capitol Theatre, and Mills Music. Both years they have had storefronts donated to house the altars. This year adjoining storefronts house the altars. Bringing people back to downtown is part of the group’s mission. The site of last year’s altars is now rented and revitalization is on the city's mind with new street trees and planters adding new life.
Organizers of the event reached out to different groups. They explained the Día de los Muertos and how the could become involved by making an altar, donating time, money or exhibition space. For example, the Allied Arts Council of Yakima Valley sent out a letter to all teachers to let them know that they would be sponsoring an altar and wanted to include student work. They let the teachers know that this would be a good opportunity to have students learn about a new aspect of a diverse culture and show their skills at a public event.
The structure of the majority of the altars is stacked boxes in three tiers. The three tiers represent birth, life and after life. Some of the groups who made altars are the Morelia Sister City Association, Pilipino pioneers to the valley, American Red Cross, Camp Fire USA, Yakima Valley Barrios Unidos, Allied Arts Council, Children's Village, YWCA, and Yakima Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary. In addition, the public was invited to bring contributions (photos of loved ones / art) to the community altar.
The exhibition is free and students were brought in from schools for tours. Volunteers help keep the altars open during the day from October 28 – November 11, with a lot of assistance from Margaret Luera and Daniel DeSiga. Making sure volunteers honor their commitment has been a challenge.
People are already asking about participating next year. One volunteer is going to make 1000 candy skulls for next year’s exhibit. The momentum to grow and continue the event is here. It's truly exciting to see the beginning of this event and the huge potential it has as a community, economic, education and tourist event.
The concert given at a private hall called The Seasons included Pianist Gerardo Sánchez Lara of Morelia. This was his first time visiting the United States. The hall was packed and new audiences from the Latino community were in attendance. “La Katrina” appeared at the concert. La Katrina is a skeleton woman and is often depicted with a flower in her Victorian hat and a bustled dress. It was a special touch that she arrived and attended the concert.
Lara was given a standing ovation for his performance. He talked to the audience and the intimate scale of the hall (400 seats) was great for connecting with the music and the musicians. This was followed by the Yakima Symphony Chorus and the Yakima Symphony Chamber Orchestra performing the Fauré Requiem which was also well received. At intermission people ate Pan de Muerto (day of the dead bread) and drank wine. The scale of the former church made it easy for friends to wave hello and talk. Prior to the concert Lara played min-recitals for and spoke to five school and college audiences, did the same for our Youth Symphony Orchestra, held interviews with radio, newspaper, and TV, gave a wonderful master class for our central Washington piano teachers association. He touched many lives here last week with his music and his spoken candor.
The altars and the concert generated ample press in both the English and Spanish newspapers with large photos accompanying the stories.
The 2006-2007 Season for Yakima Symphony Orchestra (YSO) has begun. The brochure is inviting and includes information about podcast with pre-concert interviews. The lineup includes Roberto Plano (Italian virtuoso plays Mozart), Isidore Rudnick (suite for jazz trio and orchestra), James Westwater (photo choreography), Kyle MacLachlan (Shakespeare’s Henry V), and Seattle Opera (young artists performing Falstaff). MacLachlan most recent credit is one of the cast members of TV’s Desperate Housewives and grew up in the Yakima area. The YSO’s office staff includes four people: Brooke Creswell, the conductor, Noel Moxley, Executive Director Dianne Kinney, Librarian and Sue Coontz at the front desk.
On the YSO’s season brochure it states, “What will I wear? Dress up or dress down. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the concert experience.” That is a good way to boost participation!
Site visit and photo Saya Moriyasu, November 2006.
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