Art of Remembrance | Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library

26th Annual Art of Remembrance Altar Exhibit

October 11 - November 8, 2023

AAACNA Studies Center (5th Floor), Jennifer & Philip DiNapoli Gallery (2nd Floor) & Children’s Room, 1st Floor

Hosted by the Africana, Asian American, Chicano, and Native American (AAACNA) Studies Center in partnership with the San José Multicultural Artists Guild, this highly anticipated exhibit highlights traditional and contemporary visual arts by local artists celebrating Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

Opening Reception

October 12, 2023 - 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Jennifer & Philip DiNapoli Gallery (2nd Floor) and MLK 255

Join us for live performances, artist presentations, and of course hot chocolate and tamales to disfrutar (enjoy).

Watch last year's programming!

Altar Evolutions: From Cultural Ritual to Sociopolitical & Aesthetic Performance

The AAACNA Studies Center in partnership with SJSU's Chicana and Chicano Studies Department hosted Professor and Chair Dr. Ella Maria Diaz on November 2, 2022 via Zoom for a slideshow and talk about the sociopolitical and aesthetic traditions of Día de los Muertos in the United States.

Diaz’s 2017 book Flying Under the Radar with the Royal Chicano Air Force won the 2019 Book Award for the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Association (NACCS). Her second book, José Montoya, Volume 12 of the Aver series with the Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA, won gold medals in Best Biography and Best Arts book at the 2021 International Latino Book Awards.

Virtual Día de los Muertos Festival

Held on October 23, 2022 the online festival was hosted by the San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild. Watch the recording now!

News Coverage

"San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild Celebrates 25th Dia de Los Muertos" | Metro | Vol. 38, No. 34, October 26 - November 1, 2022

"‘Ofrendas’ illuminate MLK Jr Library" | Spartan Daily | Volume 159, No. 29, October 27, 2022