MINNEAPOLIS— When Halloween ends, another holiday begins.
November 1 and 2 are important days for the people of Mexico because they celebrate the Day of the Dead. A local artist is asking Minnesotans grieving loss to join in the celebration this year.
To understand the depth of Monica Vega’s work, you need to hear how her life began.
“I lost my father when I was 14 years old, so in his honor I am creating the Day of the Dead altar,” Vega said.
It’s a festive holiday full of oranges and skulls, but Vega says this is different.
“This is not Halloween, that’s something else. People believe this is like a Mexican Halloween. It’s not Halloween, it’s a way to celebrate life after life. It’s also wonderful for some of us to heal “When you lose someone, it’s very difficult,” she said.
And so it is customary to welcome their spirits from heaven every year during Día de Muertos.
They put out their favorite food, drinks and especially their photos. It is a process that fills Monica’s soul, a soul that still longs for her father.
“When I moved from Mexico to Minnesota, I was looking for something, something that would help me continue to heal. Before I was in Mexico, I would go to a cemetery every Sunday to visit my father. But once I moved to Minnesota, it was like, ‘Oh, I need a place to go now.’ So what am I going to do, what am I going to do,” she said.
She started making altars at home. Now the artist, a dedicated volunteer with the service organization Centro Tyrone Guzman, is making altars around the city.
From the nation’s capital, to an exhibit gracing the Midtown Global Market, to her latest exhibit at the Weisman Museum, she shares her art and shares in the pain of others.
“We open it up to the community so if they haven’t healed from the loss yet this is a beautiful way so if they want to bring their photos they are more than welcome to do so. Every year when I open the altars , I talk to him too,” she said.
She wants everyone who is in pain to be able to see their loved ones again, but above all to feel them, just like her.
“I feel peace. That’s what I feel. I feel like I’m doing a good job, I feel like I’m doing the right thing,” she said.
Maria invites everyone to come to the Weisman Museum, on the University of Minnesota campus, and leave a photo of their loved one. She keeps them so she can use them in her displays every year and make sure they are not forgotten.
There’s a Day of the Dead Celebration at Midtown Global Market on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m., and you can view her exhibit for free at the Weisman through Sunday evening.
Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield
