In honor of the Day of the Dead - a Mexican celebration to honor the lives of those who have passed away - Brown and Rhode Island School of Design students and members of the Providence community gathered Saturday night in the Haffenreffer Museum gallery in Manning Hall to dedicate an ofrenda, or altar, to people who have been victims of various instances of deadly violence in Rhode Island.
This year's ofrenda, constructed by a group of primarily Hispanic Brown and RISD students, in conjunction with local artists, will be on display in Manning Hall through Dec. 15. The project is affiliated with the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence and the Brown Public Humanities Program.
Ofrendas, which often include items such as candles, music and flowers, are traditional altars built to welcome back the souls of the dead, which are believed to return on the Day of the Dead.
For the past three years at Brown, an ofrenda has been designed and built to incorporate a different theme. A previous ofrenda was dedicated to soldiers who lost their lives in the Iraq War.
"This year we wanted to really connect with the community," said coordinator Nara Hernandez GS, a graduate student in the Public Humanities Department and a native of Mexico.
Local artists Angel Quinonez and Lewis Martinez worked on this year's ofrenda, incorporating a mix of traditional and contemporary components. The ofrenda consists of a collection of brightly colored, decorated objects including a large painted skeleton, cans of beans, candy and graffiti-style artwork. A plaque explaining the altar read, "The graffiti in the ofrenda represents expression and communication of urban youth and positions the altar within this public dialogue."
The dedication ceremony began with an introduction and a performance by Mariachi de Brown. Then representatives from the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence addressed the audience about the challenges Providence faces with inner-city violence and what can be done to improve the situation. A mother who lost her son to inner-city violence in 2006 spoke of her experience and how she dealt with her grief.
The speakers pointed out that there have been 11 murders in Providence from January through September of this year, with five of those murdered under the age of 30. Out of the 59 shootings in Providence last year, 14 resulted from gang-related violence.
"There is a very visible and wide gap between (the) life of the University and the life of the city," said Rene Rabell, who attended the dedication ceremony with his family. Rabell thought the ofrenda and the dedication ceremony were both thoughtful and a great way to bridge the gap between the two communities.
Hernandez hopes that getting the word out about inner-city violence will encourage Brown and RISD students to get more involved. "It is our responsibility to be aware of what is happening in our community," Hernandez said at the conclusion of the ceremony.
