The traditions or practices of creating 'sacred space' are rooted in the opposition and merging of Pre-Columbian, and diasporic (African & Xicana/o) spiritual practices and Catholic rituals over the last 500 years from invasion, through colonialism, and into the present political configurations of the nation/state in the Americas. This course will explore the politics that have driven the conceptual formation of Altar Making as Public art and performance. We will focus on Day of the Dead in the Bay area and other local cultural happenings and art forms that have developed in this region over the last 3 decades. This class will focus on the historical Indigenous roots, and Mexican modernist influences on the contemporary Xicana/o Indigenous re-contextualization of Day of the Dead as a cultural and spiritual act of resistance. The course involves standard art historical pedagogy, as in critical and art historical readings and audio-visually enhanced lectures, coupled with the actual hands-on practice of making of Day of the Dead crafts, and participation in the installation of a Day of the Dead Altar in a community arts venue. Students are expected to take part in the ritual celebration of the Day of the Dead Vigil on November 1st through November 2nd in San Francisco or Oakland, or may choose another form of practice within the Bay Area.

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