Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House will host several events as part of the Día de Los Muertos Fiesta from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, in downtown Nacogdoches.

Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a two-day holiday that honors family members and loved ones who have died. The tradition originated in Mexico and is celebrated throughout Latin America. The Día de Los Muertos Fiesta has been an annual event in Nacogdoches for almost a decade.

Arely Morales, visiting assistant professor in painting and drawing in the SFA School of Art, will lead a workshop for invited student groups at the Cole Art Center on the day of the event. Morales will teach students to make papel picado flags and cempasúchil flowers as decorations for an ofrenda, or altar, for the festival. Members of the community are invited to view the ofrenda at the Cole and to contribute by adding decorations to honor their own loved ones.

Morales, who grew up in Jalisco, Mexico, said that the holiday is one of her favorites. “I have dear memories of walking through town and seeing everyone preparing for the Día de Los Muertos,” she said. “Our schools didn’t even have classes; instead, we built altars together and participated in the town festivities. Other than the beauty of its colorful altars, I deeply love this holiday because it brings together our families and communities to celebrate, honor and remember our loved ones who have passed away.”

SFA students in 3-D Design, led by Professor Lauren Selden, will also contribute to the celebration by creating an inflatable sculpture, which will be on view outside the Cole.

Juan Carlos Ureña and Jeana Paul-Ureña, who are professors in the department of languages, cultures and communication at SFA, as well as accomplished musicians and songwriters, will provide outdoor music. The Ureñas write, compose and perform songs fused with Caribbean and South American rhythms, folk, jazz and pop.​

An exhibit of works on paper titled “The Impermanence of Objects – Works on Paper 2014-2021” by artist Greg Edmondson will also be on view at the Cole during the festival. Edmondson’s work will remain on display through January.

The Cole Art Center, SFA’s historic art gallery, is located at 329 E. Main St. For additional information, contact the School of Art at (936) 468-4804 or the art center at (936) 468-5500.

Stephen F. Austin State University senior Alex Dupré will present a collection titled “Fruits of Light” as her Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition to be on view Oct. 18 through 21 in the back gallery of the SFA Art Building off Wilson Drive on campus.

An exhibition reception is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in the back gallery. Admission is free.

The collection illuminates a world only existing through the capture of time, according to Dupré.

“The cosmic and other worldly light painted in photo form cannot be seen with the naked eye and can only be captured in a long exposure image,” she said. “The wispy lines, painted with light, manipulate something real and merge the layers between the natural and the unnatural.

“This contrast between the familiar elements of nature and the unfamiliar setting created by colorful light is mesmerizing and intriguing,” she added.

For information about the School of Art, call (936) 468-4804.

The Stephen F. Austin State University Office of Multicultural Affairs will host a Native American Heritage Month Celebration beginning at noon, Nov. 10 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Plaza on the SFA campus.

The event is free and open to the public. Those interested in viewing virtually can do so on OMA’s Instagram page, @omasfa1991.

“It is important for us to celebrate and educate ourselves about various cultures in the world, and it is specifically important for us to celebrate every demographic represented on SFA’s campus,” said Veronica Beavers, OMA director.

Native American Heritage Month gives the public an opportunity to express their concerns and find solutions for building bridges of understanding and friendship in their local areas. The celebration also recognizes the significant contributions the first Americans made to establish and grow the United States. Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush established the commemorative month in 1990.

This year’s celebration will feature performances from the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. The tribe operates a sovereign government with a full array of health and human services, including law enforcement and emergency services. The tribe comprises about 1,300 members with approximately half living on the reservation in Livingston.

“The goal is to learn about Native American culture. Specifically, at this event, participants will learn about the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas,” Beavers said.

During the event, OMA representatives will be available to provide resources regarding Native American Heritage Month. Participants also can partake in raffles.

For more information about OMA, or to see a list of events, visit sfasu.edu/oma.

By Nathan Wicker, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University