When the news broke Oct. 15 about the deadly shootings at Silver Rail Elementary School, community organizer Greg Delgado was in the middle of a crafting session, preparing items for an upcoming Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, event at The Open Arts Center.
As the reports came in, so, too, did various community members, sharing their stories of anguish over people they knew who worked at or attended the school, and were as-yet unaccounted for, Delgado said.
“My heart sank,” Delgado said. “I’m watching this happen real time to our community, and we’re trying to be together. So that’s all I can think about — is being in community.”
For at least the past decade, Delgado has helped to put on a Central Oregon version of the annual Mexican and indigenous Mesoamerican event, which honors the departed in various ways between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2. Delgado hails from Tucson, Arizona, what he jokingly calls “the heart of Mexico.” Last year, the local, public event took place in downtown Bend, out front of the Hola! restaurant.
As part of the tradition, loved ones typically set up altars, or ofrendas, in the cemeteries where their departed are laid to rest. In this year’s Bend version, Delgado and other organizers are setting up an ofrenda at Open Arts, where there are fewer restrictions and permits to tackle, compared to a cemetery or public street.
“The whole idea is a community altar — a place to celebrate our loved ones, and a place of healing,” Delgado told the Source. “How can we work as a community together to work through these processes… and also bring some culture to our community?”
But even before the tragedy at Silver Rail, Delgado pointed out that the community — particularly the immigrant and Latino communities — was already struggling from increased activity from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Trump administration.
“There’s a lot of fear, especially around ICE right now. But we know that when there’s a community united, people…. Latinos… are not vulnerable because they’re not alone,” Delgado said. “I think that was one of the messages that we’re going to be clear with our families and our people, is saying, ‘Hey, this is a community united, and we can’t guarantee your safety, but we can guarantee that everybody will be there with you, and we’re with you.’”
The “Día de Muertos” event at Open Space takes place Friday, Nov. 6.
“Families come together to light candles, create altars, and share offerings of food, music, and flowers as they honor and welcome the spirits of loved ones,” the event’s posting describes.
Assembly of the ofrenda begins at 3pm, when people are invited to share memories and artifacts of their loved ones. Delgado has also been distributing an altar kit that includes a frame on which to add photographs or small mementoes. He’s also organizing a face-painting workshop, or “Taller de Maquillaje de Catrinas” on Thursday, Nov. 5 from 4-7pm. The face-painting workshop is $20; the Día de Muertos event on Nov. 6 is free to attend, though RSVP/tickets are requested through Eventbrite. Open Arts also has two more crafting nights planned, taking place Thursdays from 4-7pm, where people will prepare for the Nov. 7 event.
Día de Muertos at Open Arts
Sat., Nov. 7, 3:30-9pm
Open Arts Center
999 NE 2nd St., Bend
Free
RSVP at Eventbrite
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