For the second year, Brazosport Fine Arts Council teamed up with organizations across Brazoria County to celebrate Dia de los Muertos in our community. BFAC hosted the 2nd juried art exhibition, 2024 Los Vivos y Los Muertos, to explore and honor the cultures, heritage, traditions and rich history of Mexico and the southwest United States.
Artists submitted paintings, mixed media and photography for consideration in the exhibit, which was judged by Arielle Masson, artist and professor at the Glassell School of Art of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
The exhibit was on display in The Center lobby from October 8 through November 3. We hosted a reception for our artists and their guests on October 26, when our winners were announced.
The Best in Show prize was awarded to the piece Cruz de Olvido by Ana Guillen.
Of her work, Ana said, “I wanted to reflect the nostalgia of the Day of the Dead, the love with which we remember not only those who are no longer with us but everything they leave in us to honor and remember.
“In the center of the painting are my grandparents on their wedding day. He was a musician, and I named this work ‘Cruz de Olvido’, the song with which my grandmother used to remember him.”
Our juror, Arielle Masson of the Latin American Women Artists of Houston, said this about Ana’s art: “The first prize goes to a painting representing the connection through the hands between living and those passed on. According to ancient prehispanic legend, the hummingbird symbolizes, with a powerful spiritual meaning, the resurrection of souls. In some ancient cultures, it means death on the cold nights of winter and resurrection to life with the dawn of spring.
“This spiritual transition is celebrated by the presence of the Marigold flowers, the indispensable ‘cempasuchil’. Its orange color and intense aroma guide the souls of the deceased to the altars.
“This painting stands out for the first prize for its excellent craft, and, because it encapsulates so much meaning and sentiment.”
The Runner Up was the piece El Hilo by Sandra Ponce.
Of her work, Sandra said, “This piece is depicting the fragile string between life and death (el hilo de la vida y la muerte), the path through loss. The rebirth of those left behind after the death of a loved one.
“It is my personal path, traveled after my grandmother and father’s death. The search to find beauty and peace after their death. The healing and the pain (la sanción, y el duelo). It depicts what Dia de Los Muertos celebrates and reflects on.”
Ms. Masson said this about Sandra’s art: “The painting depicts ‘La Llorona’, a female character from a Mexican legend, who symbolizes pain, regret, and eternal sadness of mourning for the loss of her children. She usually appears as a ghost in cemeteries, where the largest celebrations of the Day of the Dead occur on those three days at the end of October.
“The painting is quite candid in its depiction, however it conveys much of the lore and the sentiment of Mexican culture related to its relationship with the dead.”
THANK YOU to all of our artists. We look forward to hosting our third exhibit in 2025!
