Past Special Events | Education | Public Programs

Día de los Muertos

Apples, peanuts, orange flowers, candles, paper crafts, candy and decorative skulls, and framed photographs adorn a table.
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Nov 02, 2023 4:00 PM
Wexner Center for the Arts

Free for all audiences with ticket

ACCESSIBILITY
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation such as CART captioning or ASL interpretation to participate, please email accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890. Requests made by two weeks in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the Wexner Center for the Arts will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.

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Celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with Ohio State’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Latinx Studies Program, and Wexner Center for the Arts. 

This celebration combines two events: Día de los Muertos and a book launch for Ohio State Professor of Latin American Cultural and Literary Studies Paloma Martinez-Cruz. Titled Trust the Circle: The Resistance and Resilience of Rubén Castilla Herrera (2023), this new publication is a biography of a Latinx Columbus activist who made lasting and profound contributions to the community and was instrumental in the city’s observances of the Día de los Muertos holiday. 

Join us for community conversations; a book reading and signing; snacks, including tamales, pan de muertos (Mexican bread of the dead), and hot chocolate; ofrendas (altars); button making; and a limited-edition 2023 calavera (sugar skull) poetry book for all ages. All are welcome to celebrate departed loved ones and participate in this tradition.

Program Schedule

Community Conversations
Thu, Nov 2 | 4–5 PM
Lower Lobby and Heirloom Café
Registration required 
Join a hosted circle of life community conversation following the style of Herrera’s Día de los Muertos practices.

Book Reading
Thu, Nov 2 | 5:15–6 PM
Wexner Center Store
Martinez-Cruz reads from her book Trust the Circle: The Resistance and Resilience of Rubén Castilla Herrera with contributors Nicholas Pasquarello, Pranav Jani, and Erin Upchurch.

Book Signing and Celebration
Thu, Nov 2 | 6:15–7:30 PM
Lower Lobby and Heirloom Café 
Enjoy snacks, beverages, and family-friendly activities.

Two people wearing black-and-white skull face paint, a sombrero and top hat, and festive shirts, are carrying canes topped with decorative skulls.

Paloma Martinez-Cruz and a colleague celebrate Día de los Muertos with colorful decorations and skull-style makeup. Courtesy of the Ohio State Spanish and Portuguese Outreach Committee.

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Program Support

Cosponsored by Ohio State's Department of Spanish and Portuguese and Latinx Studies.

LEARNING & PUBLIC PRACTICE PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
American Electric Power Foundation
Huntington
Martha Holden Jennings Foundation
Big Lots Foundation

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Ingram-White Castle Foundation
The Ohio State University Office of Outreach & Engagement
Ohio Arts Council
Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation

WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY
Ohio Department of Development
Greater Columbus Arts Council
The Wexner Family
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Ohio Arts Council
CampusParc
Ohio State’s Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme
The Columbus Foundation
Nationwide Foundation
Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
Mike and Paige Crane
Axium Packaging
Nancy Kramer
Ohio State Energy Partners
Ohio History Fund/Ohio History Connection 
Larry and Donna James
Bruce and Joy Soll
Jones Day
Alex and Renée Shumate
 

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Past Special Events

Día de los Muertos

Nov 02, 2023 4:00 PM EST
Wexner Center for the Arts

Free for all audiences with ticket

ACCESSIBILITY
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation such as CART captioning or ASL interpretation to participate, please email accessibility@wexarts.org or call (614) 688-3890. Requests made by two weeks in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the Wexner Center for the Arts will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.

Become a Member