MARA LEA BROWN
Altar for Our Ancestors and Cōātlīcue
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Potrero del Sol Park, San Francisco, November 2, 2022
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Exploratorium, San Francisco, November 10 - December 4, 2022
Thank you to Rosa De Anda,
Marigold Project,
for the vision,
and to the Bryant Elementary School community
for its participation
in the creation of this altar.
The Altar for Our Ancestors and Cōātlīcue is the Central Altar of the Festival of Altars for Day of the Dead 2022. This altar represents self-love, love in relationship to the other, community, and the universe. Its symbol is the never-ending spiral. It unifies the other altars in honor of the four compass directions, the elements and the different stages in the cycle of life and death.
In this altar Mother Nature, the Aztec Goddess Cōātlīcue, She who is capable of creating and destroying it all, reminds us, dressed in green and the colors of the rainbow, to care for the environment and to treat each other with respect. She gave birth to the Stars, the Moon and the Sun. Goddess of fertility, she sees her children through a Mother’s eyes, pained when they fight amongst themselves and mistreat Earth.
Beautiful wooden beads embellish Cōātlīcue's hair. Small personal altars adorn her skirt. Many were created by students from Bryant Elementary School. Community youth and adults tenderly supported and guided the children as they communicated their memories of loved ones through their art. Our Ancestors and Cōātlīcue connect us to one another.
Altar para nuestros ancestros y Cōātlīcue
Gracias a Rosa De Anda,
Marigold Project,
por la visión,
y a la comunidad de Bryant Elementary School
por su participación
en la creación de este altar.
El Altar para nuestros Ancestros y Cōātlīcue es el Altar Central del Festival de Altares para el Día de los Muertos 2022. Este altar representa el amor por uno mismo, el amor en relación a otros, la comunidad y el universo. Su símbolo es la espiral interminable. Unifica los demás altares en honor a las cuatro direcciones de la brújula, los elementos y las diferentes etapas del ciclo de la vida y la muerte.
En este altar la Madre Naturaleza, la diosa azteca Cōātlīcue, la que es capaz de crear y destruirlo todo, nos recuerda, vestida de verde y los colores del arcoíris, que cuidemos el medio ambiente y nos tratemos con respeto los unos a los otros. Ella dio a luz a las Estrellas, a la Luna y al Sol. Diosa de la fertilidad, mira con ojos de madre a sus hijos, dolida cuando se pelean entre ellos y maltratan la Tierra.
Hermosas cuentas de madera embellecen el cabello de Cōātlīcue. Pequeños altares personales adornan su falda. Muchos fueron creados por los estudiantes de la escuela Bryant. Jóvenes y adultos de la comunidad apoyaron y guiaron con ternura a los niños a medida que comunicaban sus recuerdos de personas queridas por medio de su arte. Nuestros ancestros y Cōātlīcue nos conectan los unos a los otros.
Thank you, Andrew, William, Noah and Emma for all your help!
¡Gracias, Laura, por todo tu apoyo con este proyecto!
Thank you, Nina, for all your support, coordination and creativity! Thank you also for guiding your students as they created their individual altars to add to this piece.
I really appreciate all the teachers and staff who participated in this event by bringing students to see the installation process and helping students make beads with personal messages to add to the altar. ¡Gracias en especial a Josh, Sevasti, Jen, Sandy, Dorothy y sus estudiantes!
¡Gracias a la increíble comunidad de Bryant Elementary School!
Thank you to the Exploratorium for hosting Festival of Altars, and especially to Sam Haynor for his thoughtful curation of this community show.
To learn more about Marigold Project click here.
To learn more about the Exploratorium click here.