EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. (October 14, 2023) – The Sugar Skull Art Walk is expanding its event offerings this year with a new project, “Honoring Our Ancestors,” this month in Historic Downtown Placerville from October 1 through November 4, 2023. A community celebration will be held on Main Street on Thursday, November 2, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm.
In partnership with Arts and Culture El Dorado, the Native American Center for Arts and Culture, the Asociación Guadalupana, and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, the Sugar Skull Art Walk ofrendas will be on view at the Center Street Gallery and Switchboard Gallery from October 15 to November 4, 2023, and school groups will be welcomed to view the ofrendas beginning October 13. Both galleries will host Opening Receptions on Thursday, October 19, from 6 – 8 pm, free and open to the public. Several Main Street merchants will also display ofrendas in their storefronts.
Now in its fourth year, the Sugar Skull Art Walk is a community art project that positions Latinx/Indigenous art in places of high visibility on Placerville’s Historic Main Street. The art serves as a bridge between communities. Through collaboration, education, mentoring, and artistic skills and vision development, the Sugar Skull Art Walk engages local Spanish-speaking, Latinx, Indigenous, artist, and student communities in creating ofrendas for los Días de los Muertos. The project was created in 2020 by Project Manager Melinda Velasco and her sister-in-law Luli Velasco and continued to develop through a partnership with James Marquez, the Director of the Native American Center for Arts and Culture and the Center Street Gallery.
“Honoring Our Ancestors” brings Day of the Dead cultural practices into the cultural center of Placerville, while a special educational component of the program, “A Student Ofrenda,” will welcome third- and fourth-grade school groups to participate in the Day of the Dead Tradition. Students will create crafts at the Center Street and Switchboard Galleries and learn about the history and culture of the Day of the Dead. Students will tour ofrendas at the two galleries, as well as the Placerville Library, and contribute to a Student Ofrenda to be displayed at the Center Street Gallery.
Melinda Velasco, Project Manager for the Sugar Skull Art Walk, noted, “[Honoring Our Ancestors] will be a unique opportunity for the community to gather in a way we never have before. We look forward to collaborating with local organizations and individuals as we continue to build and nurture this project for many years to come.”
To support Sugar Skull Art Walk’s programming, the Placerville Public Library will display an ofrenda honoring Latinx writers. The library will also coordinate with the Student Ofrenda program by offering Day of the Dead-themed story-telling hours for visiting student groups. The Library will also host an event featuring poetry and performances by Lara Gularte, El Dorado County’s poet Laureate emerita, writer Estela Victoria-Cordero, highly acclaimed bilingual poet and writer Zheyla Henriksen, and spoken word poet Rina Wakefield of Myrtle Tree Arts Collective. The event will open with face painting by local artist Rebecca Billingsley of Rabbit Hole Studio. The event will take place Wednesday, October 25, from 4:00-6:30 pm at the Main Library, located at 345 Fair Lane, Placerville, CA.
On Thursday, November 2, from 5:30 – 8:30 pm, Sugar Skull Art Walk will lead a procession down Main Street as part of a community celebration of el Día de los Muertos. The procession will begin at Switchboard Gallery at 5:30 pm before moving to the Bell Tower, where contributions, such as photographs of loved ones, notes, drawings, and flowers, can be made to the Community Ofrenda. The procession will conclude in the Center Street Gallery parking lot with face painting, delicious foods prepared locally by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, and live Mariachi music. The Maquilli Tonatiuh Aztec Dancers will make a special appearance at this community celebration.
Marya Osucha, Exhibitions Curator and Special Projects Manager for Arts and Culture El Dorado, noted, “I am so excited to partner with the Sugar Skull Art Walk. Their outreach and education work are incredible and promise to build important connections within our community.”
Learn more about the Sugar Skull Art Walk, the Honoring Our Ancestors program, and a complete timeline of events at https://sugarskullartwalk.
For information on the gallery exhibition at the Switchboard Gallery, visit https://
Arts and Culture El Dorado is a catalyst for good works throughout the region, serving as the State-Local Partner to the California Arts Council and providing targeted programs and services. It also curates a vibrant gallery exhibition series and focuses on initiatives that support and sustain the region’s cultural life. Founded in 1984 as El Dorado Arts Council, the organization offers programs for veterans and students, families and young people, artists and arts organizations, and residents and visitors to the region. Tax-deductible charitable donations may be made at https://
