- Credibility:
PILSEN — The National Museum of Mexican Art is welcoming visitors after hours one day this week.
The museum, normally open 10 a.m.-5 p.m., will stay open until 8 p.m. Thursday as part of its After Dark special event series, according to the museum’s website.
The whole museum, 1852 W. 19th St., will be open during After Hours, said Mario Hernandez, gallery education coordinator at the museum. Visitors also can participate in a Día de los Muertos art activity or visit the gift shop. Admission is free for all.
After Dark gives visitors who normally might not have time to visit the museum a chance to see the exhibitions, Hernandez said.
“A few years back, we thought about opening late because we know that there are a lot of people still at work during [our regular] hours, and even on weekends sometimes it’s a little difficult for people to come out,” he said.
Credit: Stephanie Lulay/Block Club ChicagoOne of the exhibitions on display now is the 35th annual “Día De Los Muertos – A Time to Grieve & Remember,” which pays tribute to Latinos in the United States and Mexico who have died during COVID-19. Last year, the museum offered online workshops and virtual tours of the exhibit.
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday that takes place Nov. 1-2 this year and honors the legacy of lost loved ones with a decorated ofrenda, or altar, mementos and celebrations.
Adam Toledo, the 13-year old boy who a Chicago police officer killed in March, is remembered with an ofrenda at the museum that will be up until Dec. 12.
Supplies to make your own ofrenda, like papel picado and sugar skulls, will be available for sale at the museum’s Tzintzuntzán gift shop.
Visitors can help create marigold flowers — traditionally used to decorate altars or for burnt offerings — out of tissue paper to adorn a large illuminated ofrenda for the museum’s outdoor Day of the Dead Xicágo celebration Oct. 30, Hernandez said.
People can also participate in the Oct. 30 celebration by submitting photos of a loved one who has died here or registering for an ofrenda space here.
Visit the National Museum of Mexican Art’s website for updates on future After Dark events and for more information on all events and exhibitions.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Already subscribe? Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
Listen to “It’s All Good: A Block Club Chicago Podcast” here:
