Dia de los Muertos in Pilsen: The National Museum of Mexican Art Marks 40 Years of 'Where Memory Lives'
Chicago's Day of the Dead observance centers on Pilsen this weekend, where the National Museum of Mexican Art's 40th annual Dia de Muertos exhibition, 'Where Memory Lives,' runs through November 29 - and the museum is warning visitors to arrive early, with last entry possible as early as 4 p.m. on a crowded holiday weekend.
Day of the Dead - Dia de los Muertos, observed November 1 and 2 - arrives in Chicago this weekend with its center of gravity in Pilsen, where the National Museum of Mexican Art is marking four decades of its annual Dia de Muertos exhibition. This year's edition, 'Where Memory Lives: 40 Years of Dia de Muertos,' runs in the museum's Main Gallery through November 29 and traces the evolution of the holiday and of the museum itself through its permanent collection.
The museum expects a heavy weekend. Its website warns that it expects high traffic because of Dia de Muertos, and that if lines and crowded galleries build, last entry to the museum may be as early as 4:00 p.m. The museum, at 1852 W. 19th St., is open Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and admission is always free. This year's exhibition is presented in honor of Dr. Gilberto Cardenas (1947-2026), a scholar and pioneer of Chicano Studies.
Visitors can take part, not just look. The museum's Courtyard space, designed and curated by the youth artists of Yollocalli Arts Reach, holds original installations and a community ofrenda where visitors can add a note, a drawing or a memory to honor someone they have lost. Day of the Dead is rooted in ancient Mesoamerican beliefs and Catholicism, and families gather each November 1 and 2 to welcome back the souls - and the memories - of their loved ones, the museum notes.
The observance spreads well beyond Pilsen. Choose Chicago's holiday guide lists Xempasuchil: Dia de los Muertos in Little Village, running October 31 through November 1, and Dia de los Muertos programming at Chicago Public Library branches across the city, including paper-mache catrina making and sugar-skull decorating. The museum's own season continues with its Love Never Dies Ball on November 7.
