Filed under: Art, Phoenix | Tags: Art, Coffeehouses, Day of the Dead, Día de Los Muertos, Downtown Phoenix, Global Community, Holidays, Lalo Cota, Murals, Phoenix, Religion
I’m posting this just as it becomes Halloween. Halloween and the Day of the Dead are not related but they both involve the Christian All Saints’ Day (on November 1) and All Souls’ Day (on November 2). In a city like Phoenix, with a strong Mexican tradition, Halloween and Día de los Muertos sort of get thrown together. In most regions of Mexico, November 1 honors children and infants, whereas deceased adults are honored on November 2. This is indicated by generally referring to November 1 mainly as Día de los Inocentes (“Day of the Innocents”) and November 2 as Día de los Muertos (“Day of the Dead”). It’s not really a sad event but more of a celebration of past lives and it’s not supposed to be a scary day either but some people not familiar with the holiday do find the skulls and skeletons a little creepy. But you probably know all this…
I love Day of the Dead art so I was happy to notice this sculpture on a business just about a 1/2 mile from my house. Since it’s on a busy street and also on the roof of the building, I could never get a good look at it while driving by and I thought it was a pioneer woman or something.
That didn’t make sense because it’s on a Mexican tile business.
Finally, one day I got a good look as I was able to slow down while passing by.
Cool! A Day of the Dead sculpture close to home! You can imagine my excitement.
I hope you didn’t get too scared, haha. I know I said it’s not supposed to be a spooky holiday but I couldn’t resist.
I didn’t get to any official celebrations of Day of the Dead this weekend but I did go back to Calle 16, which I wrote about again a few days ago (the first photo is from there). Today there were no cars so I was able to get some unobstructed views of the murals portraying Day of the Dead art.
She’s really beautiful, I think.
And he’s pretty handsome (both by Lalo Cota). These 2 additional murals by Lalo that I just recently photographed and blogged about are some of my favorites.
Here’s another shot at Calle 16, taken today.
The best part of all this is that Phoenix is pretty much filled with Day of the Dead art all year long.
So…Happy Halloween or Feliz Día de los Muertos, whichever you celebrate…or both. I did read an article where some people were claiming you should not wish someone a Happy Day of the Dead but several other people, including Mexicans, said they do it. So…
Sugar Skulls by Irma Sanchez at Perc Up, a local coffeehouse.
It finally became autumnly beautiful in Phoenix. The downside is I had to work until almost 6 every night so when I got home, it was too dark to take any photos. That is one of the drawbacks of winter in our hemisphere, I guess.
My hope is to get some festive Halloween, or better yet~Day of the Dead~shots this weekend to post next time. I have a couple but that’s just not enough for such a fun (and spooky) time of the year.
So meanwhile, I took a walk around my yard for these fall shots in urban Phoenix, where we don’t have a “typical” autumn.
Remember I was lamenting about my beloved hibiscus (a mere 26 days ago) not looking so good after a miserably hot summer? Well, just a few days of cooler weather and the yellow leaves are gone, there is a lot of new green growth, and buds!!!!
A remnant of its former self…
Also a remnant of its former self is one of our 2 remaining silk oaks. This one has a lot of character but may not survive too much longer.
Nothing better than having a friend to enjoy a fine fall day with…
Or finding a quiet, sun-dappled spot amid some crunchy leaves to take an early afternoon nap…
This is Grady, one of our (currently) 8 outdoor cats, formerly feral but becoming tamer, this morning after breakfast.
“You’re not trying to catch those poor hummingbirds, are you, Grady?”
“I’m just looking, Mom, really, and here comes one now.”
“I’m faster than that cat up there.”
Check out the tail wiggle.
A couple of disapproving onlookers…
There were at least 3 hummingbirds flying around.
Not one of the better shots but I like her little feet.
Grady is now out of the tree, sleeping in one of her hiding spots, and the hummers are all still flying around and eating. Thanks for the closest shots of them I’ve ever gotten, Grady.
“I told you I was just gonna look.”
These flowering bushes are called Mexican Bird of Paradise. They grow abundantly and flower pretty much year-round. I keep wondering why we don’t get one.
Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives.~Mary Ann Brussat
I don’t know what these little flowers are, found in one of my neighbor’s yards, as was the Mexican bird of paradise. Textures were added to #4 (Kim Klassen) and #5 because I wasn’t that thrilled with them. They look better enlarged.
Filed under: Art, Phoenix | Tags: Art, Downtown Phoenix, Flora, Global Community, Greater Good, imagine, Kickstarter, Learning, Phoenix, Valley of the Sunflowers
Remember when I wrote about the inspirational and exciting downtown Phoenix project, Valley of the Sunflowers, a little over a month ago? Well, this is what it looked like a few days ago, seeds planted. The seedlings are sprouting and, in fact, since I took this photo, the lot has been covered with straw to deter the downtown pigeons from snacking. There is also now a call for artists to design scarecrows, too. So, in a couple weeks, I’ll go back and photograph the lot again.
This project is causing a lot of excitement. They do have grants to pay for the first season but are trying to fundraise for future seasons. They have a Kickstarter for this project but, with only a few days to go, they are running way behind. If the full amount of $15K is not raised by October 24, the funds that are pledged will be forfeited. With Kickstarter, you can donate as little as $1 to make a difference. Do you know about Kickstarter? It’s an innovative way to raise funds for small creative projects and I’m surprised this one has raised so little…I’m hoping they have some high rollers planning on donating at the last minute. Check it out to see what projects are in your area but you can donate to any project, anywhere, and this would be a great one to start with.
This video they put together for the Kickstarter is so positive and fun, it’s only 2 minutes long, so check it out if you freaking love sunflowers…or art or urban revitalization or education or Phoenix…
These are their goals:
- Demonstrate art can create a transformative educational experience for local students
- Demonstrate art can reduce urban blight by beautifying vacant lots
- Demonstrate art can be a catalyst for sustainable energy
- Demonstrate art can bring excitement and inspiration to downtown Phoenix
You can also read about their progress on their Facebook page.
