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deMeng de los Muertos
Assemblage, Art and Dia de los Muertos
Oaxaca, Mexico - October 26- November 4, 2007
Once again Michael
deMeng is returning to Mexico and invites you to join him in the magical
city of
Oaxaca, to create
art and celebrate what is perhaps the most beautiful event in the world, Dia
de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. This year he will be conducting an
assemblage class that teaches students to transform discarded cigar boxes
into found object retablos and shrines. This class will incorporate a
variety of techniques including collage, drawing, painting and, most
importantly, assemblage. Anything and everything will be used to create this
reliquary, (sawblades, gears, you name it). Of course, since everyone will
be in Mexico, the land of found objects, everyone will have to be on the
prowl for rusty goodies lying about. Along with the Cigar Box Retablos, the
class will also create an ofrenda. Ofrendas are wonderful shrines that can
be seen in homes, cemeteries, and local businesses; they honor family and
friends that have passed away. Usually adorned with personal effects of the
deceased, they are then decorated with marigolds, candles, skeletal toys,
sand paintings, on and on. Truly amazing and plenty of examples will be
visible throughout
Oaxaca
this time of year.
So join in the
celebration…you will truly be inspired and amazed.
October 26- November
4, 2007
The Price(not including airfare):
Single: $2100* US person
Double: $1850* US per person
Class, hotel, breakfast, lunch and tours are included.
contact:
Colleen Darling
colleen950@hotmail.com
Home 805-688-1221
Cell 805-448-1509
Itinerary
October 26 (Friday):
Arrive Oaxaca, get settled in your room. On-going welcome reception, get to know each other, forget names. A walk to the Zocalo (town square) for those arriving early enough, before 10 PM. Early to bed.
October 27 (Saturday)
Get to know Oaxaca. Breakfast and a leisurely stroll from our hotels to the Zocalo. On the way we will hopefully get our bearings, see many shops, museums, churches and historical points of interest. You’ll get the lay of the land, which will allow you to return at your convenience, with the gang or solo. We will then head to the huge Abastos market for Saturday Market day. People come from villages all over the valley to buy and sell their wares. There is an incredible array of merchandise; from shovels to oil clothe, baskets, fresh fish, flowers, and much more. It is a riot of the senses, colors, smells, noise and the ever present pickpockets. Watch your valuables!!!
From the market we will enjoy a patio lunch at a delicious seafood restaurant. Dinner and night life on your own.
October 28 (Sunday)
An early breakfast at Vips (the Denny’s of Mexico). Sorry it is the only place open early enough on a Sunday. The food is actually okay and they can handle a large group. A long day of sight-seeing. A total taste of the valley of Oaxaca. We will visit the famous Tule tree largest diameter in the Americas, then on to the village of Tlacochahuaya. The village church walls are covered with amazing frescos painted by local indigenous people. It was recently restored. We will head on to Tlacolula for Sunday market. This is a real market for locals, not just geared to attracting tourists. If we are lucky we will see the majestic women from Tehauntepec selling their gorgeous embroidery done on velvet. Pricey, usually $100 and up. On to the archeological site of Mitla. It contains some of the most beautiful and complex stone fretwork on the temple walls in all of Mexico. From there we will visit a small family run mescal factory, non corporate and local style. Finally………we will eat !!! After a relaxing lunch if everyone is still game we can visit the town of Teotitlan del Valle. This is a very prosperous village of weavers. The women spin and dye the wool and the men do most of the weaving. Their blankets and rugs are sold all over the world. Now everyone should be completely exhausted and ready to start class tomorrow. Dinner on your own.
October 29 (Monday)
Breakfast. Class begins at 10:AM Break for lunch and more class. Late afternoon and evening free.
October 30 (Tuesday)
Breakfast Class begins at 10:00 AM Break for lunch and more class Late afternoon and evening free.
October 31 (Wednesday)
Breakfast Class begins at 10:00 AM Break for lunch. Afternoon and evening at the cemetery.
November 1 Thursday)
Breakfast Class begins at 10:AM Break for lunch Afternoon and evening at the cemetery.
November 2 (Friday)
Breakfast Today we will visit the market at Ocotlan. The town is home to the well known Aguilar sisters. They each make brightly colored ceramic figures that depict life in Mexico. It is also the home of the late artist Rodolfo Morales. Morales restored the local church and monastery. It houses a huge collection of ceramics and some of his paintings and collages. We will visit the village of San Martin Tilcajete where almost every family is a woodcarver. They make every animal imaginable and some you haven’t thought of. Lunch and another visit to a cemetery.
November 3 (Saturday)
Breakfast. This is your final day in Oaxaca. Shop, eat, try to see everything you missed on the other days and enjoy. Then make plans for you next visit!
November 4 (Sunday)
Fly away home.
Included: Shared room, class, breakfast, lunch, tours and guide on Sunday and Friday.
Not included: airfare, tips, taxis, alcohol, drunken binges, bail, attorneys, personal escorts and bribes.
