Oaxaca’s Day of the Dead Takes Flight
Oaxaca, Mexico
October 21 – November 3, 2008

In collaboration with celebrated Oaxacan museums, the Drachen Foundation organized a celebration of arts, kites, and culture in Oaxaca, Mexico, for the Day of the Dead 2008.

By invitation from the heart of Oaxaca, Mexico’s master painter Francisco Toledo, the Drachen Foundation collaborated with the Institute of Graphic Arts of Oaxaca (IAGO), the hand paper making facility at Elta and the Center of the Arts in San Agustin (CASA) to celebrate their 20th and 10th anniversaries and the Day of the Dead.

The enigmatic customs of the zapoteca culture in Oaxaca has been the interest of foreigners for years. Their focus on death and life is combined in the Day of the Dead, remembering and celebrating those who have departed. This celebration is exhibited in all realms of Oaxacan life—setting of the altars, preparation of special meals, the prayers of the mourners, notes of the choir and, now, the lifting of the souls by kites.

To celebrate these occasions, a kite festival was added to the traditional Day of the Dead celebration. Artists and kite makers from around the world were invited to exhibit and teach about their craft. In addition, in a cultural exchange, classes and lectures were given on Mexican culture in the Day of the Dead and the art hand papermaking traditions of Oaxaca. Guests were able to tour the papermaking facility as well as the Institute of Graphic Arts and its archives.