Inspiration from Young at Art - DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

The San Francisco Youth Arts Festival "Young at Art" at the DeYoung Museum in May was full of so many creative, inventive and inspiring ideas for art exploration with kids. The following are a few of my favorite DAY OF THE DEAD (DOTD) PROJECTS that were on display in the show:


I quite enjoyed this DOTD Calacas - it has a very traditional appeal and made from old-school materials (wire and plaster gauze) It's nicely decorated as well.




This was a clever project that used cardstock, cut with a single cut and then folded to make a 3-D backdrop. The figures were made from wire and model magic clay. It would be great fun to make four of these - four different scenes that could be mounted back-to-back and then spun on a "lazy susan" It would make a great storytelling device for any story (not just DOTD), or a fun way to create a four-scene stage design maquette.

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There was also a fun class set of DOTD pillows made from fleece and felt pieces. Not exactly traditional, but a fun re-interpretation of a cultural tradition. They looked great all piled up together, but I'm sure the kids really enjoyed taking them home as well!







Here's another fun felt project with DOTD skulls in embellished felt on felt squares. Super easy and fun to make, I'm sure! I like how each is personalized in a unique way and that the kids actually stitched them in place. It gives them nice hand-crafted appeal.



There are other fun felt projects from the festival that use this same technique. Check out my blog entry on Fun Felt for more ideas.