TYLER, TX (October 28, 2009)

Colorful and vibrant works of art, created by Tyler Independent School District middle school students will be featured in a special exhibition at the Tyler Museum of Art November 1–8, inside the TMA Classroom.

The Day of the Dead Art Show celebrates El Día de los Muertos or All Souls' Day, a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. TISD students created art demonstrating different symbols and common images associated with the holiday, and their teachers submitted the works to the Museum for display. The art show features over 80 works. Each year, the Tyler Museum of Art hosts a variety of events such as the Day of the Dead Art Show to promote multiculturalism and to serve the large and vibrant Hispanic community in Tyler and East Texas.

Participating teachers include: Daniel Killian of Moore MST Magnet School; Kimberly Taylor of Richard B. Hubbard Middle School; Elizabeth Lade of Dogan Middle School; Ira Wesley of Boulter Middle School; and Gary Broome of James S. Hogg Middle School. Next year, the TMA hopes to include more schools and classes in the Day of the Dead Art Show.

Coinciding with the show will be a small installation of a selection of items taken from the TMA’s permanent collection, gifted by Laura and Dan Boeckman of Dallas. The installation will be located in the Museum lobby.

Day of the Dead celebrations focus on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Observances occur the first and second of November in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Traditional related activities include building private altars honoring the deceased; others use sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and place these items at the gravesides of passed loved ones as gifts. The Tyler Museum of Art, accredited by the American Association of Museums, is located at 1300 S. Mahon Ave., adjacent to the Tyler Junior College campus off East Fifth Street. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. (The Museum is closed Mondays and major holidays.) Lunch is available in the Museum Café from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and the TMA Gift Shop is open during Museum hours. For more information, call (903) 595-1001 or visit www.tylermuseum.org.