Día de los Muertos Class Series-Sugar Skulls

Name: Día de los Muertos Class Series-Sugar Skulls
Start: 2025-10-23T17:30:00-07:00
End: 2025-10-23T19:30:00-07:00
Location: 710 S Anderson St, Tacoma, WA 98405-2749, United States

Schedule

Thu Oct 23 2025 at 05:30 pm to 07:30 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

710 S Anderson St, Tacoma, WA 98405-2749, United States | Tacoma, WA

Tacoma Cienfuegos Sister City is delighted to offer a Fall craft class series as part of this year's Día de los Muertos celebration.
Classes are held at Spire/Unity of South Sound, 710 S. Anderson Street every Thursday night from 5:30 to 7:30pm from September 11 through October 23.
You are welcome to park in the church parking lot or on the street. Classes are held downstairs.
We have a variety of instructors hosting classes. All skill levels are welcome and families are encouraged. This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy an art class with your children.
We are suggesting a donation of $5 per individual and $15 per family.
Please register at:
https://www.tacomacienfuegossistercity.org/classes
Here is our class schedule:
September 18-Felt Skull Ornaments with Monica Perez
Skulls are traditionally used to decorate for Día de los Muertos.
This craft activity will create an embroidered felt stuffed skull for use in decorating for the celebration.
September 25-Papel Picado with Martha Cabello
Papel Picado, or “punched” paper, is a traditional folk art found throughout Mexico and the United States. These delicate strings of paper can be seen hanging as banners during Day of the Dead and many other festivals. During Día de los Muertos, this ephemeral paper art is used as a metaphor for human life; it is impermanent and transitional.
The history of papel picado is rich and varied. Its origins can be dated back to paper making in pre-Columbian times. Its style has also been influenced by the cultures of other countries, including China and Spain. Since its beginnings, Mexican cut paper has been associated with rituals that commemorate death and the afterlife and still continues to serve as traditional embellishment for celebratory occasions.
October 2-Felt Skull Ornaments with Monica Perez
We will have a second class on this fun activity.
October 9-Acrylic Pouring with Carlos Mota
Acrylic pouring is a fluid art technique where a pouring medium is mixed with acrylic paint to reduce its viscosity, then poured onto a canvas and manipulated by tilting or other methods to create abstract patterns and designs. The addition of the medium allows the paints to flow and blend, producing unique, dream-like swirls of color without being applied by a traditional brush.
Students will create mini canvasses and decorated key chains.
October 16-Butterfly Masks with Martha Cabello
In Día de los Muertos, monarch butterflies symbolize the returning souls of deceased loved ones and ancestors, with their arrival in early November coinciding with the celebration. This belief, particularly among Indigenous Mexican cultures like the Purépecha, views the butterflies as spiritual messengers carrying spirits to visit the living. The butterflies' orange and black colors also mirror those of the Mexican marigold (cempasúchil), a flower used to guide spirits, further linking them to the holiday's theme of remembrance and the cyclical nature of life and death.
Timing of the Migration:
The monarchs' annual migration to Mexico occurs around the time of Día de los Muertos, strengthening the cultural association between their arrival and the visiting spirits.
Symbol of Transformation and Renewal:
The butterfly's life cycle, from egg to caterpillar to butterfly, represents transformation and renewal, which aligns with the holiday's focus on the continuity of life beyond death.
Cultural Significance:
This belief has inspired art, songs, dances, and decorations featuring monarchs during Día de los Muertos, making them a prominent part of the cultural celebration.
Students will create a paper butterfly mask.
October 23-Sugar Skulls with Hector Ayala
Paint your own paper-mache skulls. Skulls are a very popular
symbol for Día de los Muertos. Skulls are placed on ofrendas,
sugar skulls are created and eaten, and paper mache skulls are used for decorations.