I used to pride myself on attending almost all of the cultural festivals in Birmingham. It is becoming impossible. Our city has grown to the point where there is so much going on, it is difficult to choose what to attend. Of course having a preschooler adds to the number of events we attend and type of events.
Bare Hands Gallery in Birmingham, AL has been hosting a Dia de Los Muertos celebration for seven years. I have been trying to get there for about three years. Tonight, all the forces of the universe were in alignment so I was able to attend. It was nice that two other friends were there to help with my son.
I kept wondering, where in the world would a festival take place on 1st Avenue South and Richard Arrington Blvd (21st Street South)? I am on Richard Arrington Blvd daily, but I couldn't imagine they would close the streets. I find navigating Birmingham's city center very easy. It is on a grid pattern. The address sounded familiar. I had seen a production of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Isn't Enuf" at that same intersection several years ago.
There were so many cars on Richard Arrington, that I had to cross the bridge to 1st Avenue North. I made a right on 22nd Street and as I crossed the bridge heading south, I saw it. In the midst of the dark sky and buildings that all seemed to blend together was a courtyard full of colorful lights that one usually only sees during the Christmas season. I also saw people in full costume parading down 1st Avenue South heading for a small white tent. I was definitely at Dia de Los Muertos.
As we entered the gates, I could smell incense. The music was an eclectic mix. Since I had my son with me, I wanted to make sure he ate so we made our way to the food tents. We ate paella from the Homewood Gourmet, tamales from Cantina and black beans and rice by Golden Temple. As we ate, we were entertained by live and recorded music.
I spent time chatting with people from a previous life as we waited for the itinerary to unfold. The center piece was the artistic display of alters. We looked at some of the altars along the back wall of the gallery and then stood in line to enter the building. As I was managing a backpack, a son who wanted a piggy back ride and conversing, I wasn't sure whether we could continue to stand in line without incident. The time passed by quickly as I saw former colleagues and students.
As we entered the doors, my son was fascinated by the lights. We named all the primary colors and then when we finally hit the door, there were lights and images of the departed everywhere. My son, who had been a bit timid most of the night, became fascinated with all the candles. One of the the altars had a musical theme. He named all of the instruments and attempted to play the drums. The installations and the lights decorated the hall from top to bottom.
Frida seemed to be a common theme or perhaps she just happened to be the one person that I recognized. I am not sure if it would be sacrilegious to say this, but she almost seemed to be a patron saint or a muse for the artists who created the alters. There was a huge portrait of her on the back wall and many smaller images just about everywhere.
As we entered the main gallery, I was struck by an installation that included an altar to a baby that had departed. It was so beautiful and sad. It included the baby's crib, high chair and a casket. The pastels were a contrast to some of the other altars.
As we exited the gallery to return to the courtyard, some of the entertainment had begun. Somehow I failed to notice the structures in the middle of the courtyard. My years of taking Spanish included stories of Dia de Los Muertos. However, I missed the fact that the courtyard was supposed to be a graveyard. Maybe it is because my son decided he could walk instead of riding on my back. He wanted to touch everything and it was easy to stumble over all the items on the ground. It dawned on me that we were in a graveyard simulation. We were on cement of course, but there were headstones and images one sees in a graveyard placed throughout the courtyard.
Since I spent most of my time nervous that my son was going to destroy something, I couldn't fully concentrate. I will have to go back to Bare Hands. You can still see the installation through November 14th.
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