Festival de las Calaveras 2018 Alternative Poster

Festival de las Calaveras addresses limited resources and support for high quality annually produced Latinx arts showcases in Minnesota. Guiding principles for the festival are to build community through Latinx arts; connect and grow the Twin Cities diverse Latinx arts community; recognize and expose local Latinx artists to the Latinx and broader Twin Cities audiences; and promote artistic collaborations among local, national, and international Latinx artists.

The festival intends to promote the celebration of the Day of the Dead within the Latinx community, embracing diverse intergenerational, educational, economic, cultural, and gender identities; further, considering that many may not practice the same tradition of ancestral remembrance, yet are invited to appreciate similarities rather than cultural differences as original peoples of the Americas. The festival also extends the opportunity to members of other cultural communities and allies to celebrate the remembrance of their own ancestors through Latinx artistic expression and the Day of the Dead tradition.

This poster was an alternative design I proposed for the 2018 Festival de las Calaveras. Inspired by street art and one of my favorite illustrators, Dr. Jorge Allderete, who has created artwork for similar festivals and bands, the illustration features several elements. It highlights the festival's venue, La Doña Cerveceria, and aligns with Día de los Muertos themes, including a Catrina illustration based on the festival's founder, Deborah Ramos. The design also incorporates motifs such as Flor de Cempasúchil and pan de muerto, along with a logo created for that edition of the festival by Luis Fitch.