In Remembrance of the Young Victims of School Shootings: Día de los Muertos Ofrenda at OMCA

This ofrenda commemorates the tragic and violent deaths of young students in a school setting and the adults assigned to their care and learning. The inspiration for this offering is rooted in Mexico’s annual November 1st celebration of Día de los Angelitos, or Day of the Little Angels, which honors the lives of children who briefly lived on this earth. This feast is in conjunction with Mexico’s annual two day Dia de los Muertos celebration, or Day of the Dead celebration, of November 1st and 2nd. Though the death of a child brings deep loss and pain, the Día de los Angelitos feast is rooted in the healing sentiment that one has gained an angel in heaven.
This ofrenda will be on view October 11-November 27, 2022 on the Lower Level, near the entrance to the Gallery of California Natural Sciences.
Altars, known as ofrendas, are created in the home or on children’s graves with vibrant decorations and offerings of toys, sweets, flowers, favorite foods, and personal objects that brought pleasure in life.
With these traditions in mind, we of the Día de los Muertos Volunteer Committee of the Oakland Museum of California, have created this ofrenda to express feelings of compassion on behalf of our communities for the loss of these young lives and to celebrate the joy they brought in life.
Oakland Museum of California Día de los Muertos Committee:
Luz Alvarez Martinez, Chrissy Cano, Bea Carrillo-Hocker, Juanita Chavez, Carlos Cil, Alicia Diaz, Isaac Emrick, Angelita M. Finlayson, Arnoldo Garcia, Judith Ann Garcia, Maricela Gutierrez, Carolina Juarez, Lisa Lemus, Silvia Ledezma, Micaela Mariscal, Juliane Monroe, Isabela Perez, Sheyla Duarte, Rebecca Rocco
Día de los Muertos is made possible in part with generous support from the Oakland Museum Women’s Board.
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