Waukegan Public Library displays 'Day of the Dead' art exhibit
Waukegan Public Library will feature the work of Amy Lynn Ross and Katrina Davis-Salazar in an exhibit titled "Dia de los Muertos: A Living Documentation."
"Dia de los Muertos: A Living Documentation" will employ diverse media to examine the Hispanic "Day of the Dead" holiday. It will also explore views of life and death from both Hispanic and non-Hispanic sensibilities. The exhibit celebrates themes of Dia de los Muertos while simultaneously exploring loss and rebirth, memory and celebration, truth and irony, and faith and fate.
The "Dia de los Muertos," or "Day of the Dead," celebration takes place Oct. 31 to Nov. 1. The celebration includes marigolds, dancing, sugar skulls, and picnicking on graves. This tradition of honoring ancestors is intended to encourage souls to visit loved ones, comfort the living, and celebrate the dead.
After hearing about a similar exhibit by Ross and Davis-Salazar, Rena Morrow of The Waukegan Public Library approached the artists last winter about the possibility of showcasing their work at the library's "Gallery 128."
By consistently featuring exhibits such as this, the library is making fine art a part of residents' daily lives. Anyone who enters the library can view this microcosm of the arts.
Gurnee resident Ross works as a designer for Sherwin-Williams and is a board member of the Dandelion Gallery in Waukegan. She is a versatile artist who focuses on layering, texture, and iconic images. She is passionate about creating art, community development, art education, and animal rescue, and shows her work throughout the Chicagoland area.
Local mixed-media artist Davis-Salazar works as a freelance painter and an instructor at the College of Lake County, as well as a muralist, wife and mother. Katrina's work aims to meet her viewers at their most vulnerable point, while uplifting and connecting.
Life experiences such as loss, illness, and change have shaped her body of work as she explores the human state of being broken and whole simultaneously. Davis-Salazar also has permanent installations at Warren Newport Public Library and Prairie Trail School and sells and exhibits her work throughout the Chicago area.
This exhibit will be on display Saturday, Sept. 27, to Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Waukegan Public Library, 128 N. County St., Waukegan. Visit www.waukeganpl.org.