Day of the Dead Art Making on Vashon
by Kara Jones
Photos by Hawk Jones

Normally our family has celebrated Day of the Dead as a solo event which isn't exactly in keeping with the Mexican traditions of this being a community celebration. This year, here on Vashon, a group of artists gathered in the barn loft at Plain Old Farm -- thank you Jane Valencia for the space -- and another small group of Vashon Youth & Family Services employees gathered during a lunch hour, to help make sugar skulls for a Day of the Dead ofrenda.

Courtesy of Karen Barringer, we will be able to move our ofrenda and all the Vashon created sugar skulls to the window of Vashon Bookshop for all the Halloween celebrations on Saturday, October 30th!!! The ofrenda will be on display there through November 2nd in honor of Days of the Dead. I'm hoping to leave a little space there for it to be a community ofrenda, too. Maybe leave some paper, pens, and a basket on the ofrenda for anyone to stop by, write a little note about the loved ones they are honoring this season, and add it to the basket on the ofrenda.

After the holiday is over, we'll bring the sugar skulls back to our house. We'll add them to a sacred circle we have out on the back of our property and let the rain take them back to the elements.

In the meantime, these are a few close-up photos of the amazing art created here on Vashon!!! I want to thank all of you who participated in the creation: Jane, Sherene, Julie, Suzanna, Jeanne, Deborah, Alana, Shelley, Gayle, J.B., and Nancy. You all made this year's Day of the Dead into a community celebration for our family. You all RULE!! :)

Above: This sugar skull was done in memory of Unkie.

Above: This sugar skull was made in honor of Dakota.

Above: Vashon artists gathered for art-making! Suzanna, Deborah, & Sherene pictured here.

Above: This awesome sugar skull reminds me of a Vashon Pirate kind of theme! I believe this one was made by Sherene.

Above: This sugar skull was made in honor of Nona.

Above: Deborah is working on her sugar skull with the idea of questions in mind -- questions we all have about death, questions we might have about loved ones who passed away before we could ask them all the things we wanted to ask...

Above: This totally cool sugar skull reminds me of the wax lips you see at Halloween time! I love his feather! I believe he was created by Suzanna!

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