Dia de los
Muertos Festival
Corpus Christi, Texas
Extravagancia de Piñatas
ATTENTION TEACHERS
Win money for classroom Art Supplies!
K Space Contemporary will host the 13th Annual Extravagancia de Piñatas exhibition and competition for youth in conjunction with our annual Dia de Los Muertos Festivities. Local K-12 teachers and group leaders are invited to create piñatas with their youth groups, classes, and/or after-school clubs. Each participating group will receive a $30 supply allowance (limited to 2 allowances per school).
Cash awards, based on popular vote, are given for the 1st and 2nd Place piñatas in three categories:
Elementary (K-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12).
Award money must be used for classroom supplies.
Important Dates:
October 7th: Pinatas must be delivered to
K Space Contemporary, 623 N. Chaparral St.
October 14 - November 17: Exhibition Dates
November 10: Awards Announced on Social Media and Website
November 18-19: Pick up Piñatas
Guidelines:
Eligibility: Open to K-12 school groups (classes/clubs) in Corpus Christi and cities within a 50-mile radius. Each group/club may enter one hand-constructed Piñata (group project.) Piñatas must be delivered to K Space Contemporary by Oct. 7. To register to participate, complete the form below and click “Submit”.
2023 Theme: "Origin Story"
Although most strongly identified with Mexico, Dia de los Muertos is celebrated throughout Latin America and everywhere with a Latino population! The Aztec empire had been celebrating "Day of The Dead" long before Spanish conquistadors invaded and fused it with Catholicism to create the Día de los Muertos we know today.
The Aztecs hosted a month-long celebration to honor the Goddess of the dead, Mictēcacihuātl, Queen of Mictlān (the underworld), whose role was to preside over souls in the afterlife. When the Aztecs were colonized the festival was shortened and moved to coincide with the Catholic holiday All Saints Day. Thus the birth of the modern day Dia de los Muertos Festival.
Many traditions of the modern-day festival trace their origins all the way back to the Aztec traditions including Ofrendas, the importance of marigolds, and preparing the souls of those who have passed in their journey in the afterlife.
When making art for this exhibition, think of traditions, symbols, and mythology that carried over from the Aztec festival and the merging of that holiday with the Catholic religion.
For more information regarding the history of the festival and interesting information, you can visit the links below.
https://news.arizona.edu/story/understanding-history-and-traditions-d%C3%ADa-de-los-muertos
https://smarthistory.org/aztec-art-feasts-dead/
Voting: The public is invited to vote for their favorite pinatas in person during the exhibition. Piñatas will also be posted on the Corpus Christi Dia de los Muertos Festival Facebook page for public voting October 14 – November 8 (~3 weeks). Awards will be announced on November 10 for the piñatas receiving the highest number of votes totaled from both Facebook and in-person voting.
Awards: $200 Award for First Place and $100 Award for Second Place in each category – Elementary (K-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12). Checks presented to the winning groups’ leaders are to be used for classroom supplies.
Size: Piñatas must fit through a 40” wide doorway. Piñatas must not weigh over 8 pounds.
Hanger: Piñatas must be ready-to-hang with a built-in secure, sturdy hanger. K Space is not responsible for piñatas that fall because of faulty construction or faulty suspension method.
Label: Attach a label to the hanger that includes: School/Group, Teacher/Leader’s name, Leader’s email address & phone number, title, and price. We suggest printing this information largely on a printer sheet of paper and attaching it to your pinata.
Sales: Piñatas can be priced for sale. 100% of the proceeds from sales are paid to the participating group’s leader by check. Enter “NFS“ (not for sale) as “Price” if you do not want to sell your piñata.