Honoring Frida and Diego

The fourth and fifth graders have been learning about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.  They learned about the lives of these two famous Mexican artists, and they chose one, or both, as the theme for the creation of an ofrenda for el Dia de los Muertos.  The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition celebrating friends and loved ones who have passed away.  By building festive altars, they welcome the spirits home to celebrate with the family.  Papel picado (cut paper banners), calaveras (candy skulls), and calacas (skeletons that 5th grader Jason decided were like action figures) are all decorations for the ofrendas.  The students created portraits as a review for drawing faces, they created a background for the boxes and a frame for the portraits, and then they had fun decorating their work.  I love how they turned out.

Melanie and Monica's ofrenda features a Diego "calaca" painting at an easel.

Quin added foil to resemble mirrors.

Manuel and Enrique added calaveras, calacas and the flag of Mexico to their ofrenda.

Lily changed the shape of her box so we could see her artwork easily.

Alex created a guitar from wood scraps for his calaca.