Photos by Janel Rosales, Museo de las Americas

Museo de las Americas is honored to exhibit Altar’d Continuum: Resistance and Empowerment in Sacred Spaces guest curated by Danielle N. Cunningham and Mary Grace Bernard. Altar’d Continuum emphasizes the altar as both a physical and non-physical space for personalized ritual exchange between humans and the divine. The exhibition will be open through February 1, 2020. The opening reception  was held on Thursday, September 12th much to everyone’s awe.

Seven local artists have constructed altars combining their own work with Museo’s collection objects in a demonstration of the altar’s inherent transcendence of time and space.

These new altars reject any singular context, operating as platforms of resistance through which altar-makers reinterpret traditional practices to reclaim power and agency from mainstream institutions. In addition, five nationally recognized artists share their vision of the altar in myriad mediums and styles.

This exhibition emphasizes the altar as both a physical and non-physical space for personalized ritual exchange between humans and the divine.

By pairing contemporary artists alongside religious ofrendas, retablos, and other iconography from the museum’s collections, the exhibition illustrates the altar’s inherent transcendence of time and space.

These new altars reject any singular context, operating as platforms of resistance through which altar-makers reinterpret traditional practices and reclaim power from mainstream institutions.” Danielle N. Cunningham and Mary Grace Bernard, Curators

There will be a local artist talk on September 17th from 6 – 8 PM, a drag performance by Louis Trujillo on October 4th at 7 PM, a kaleidoscope workshop with Eileen Richardson on November 21st from 6 – 8 PM.

Guest curated by Danielle N. Cunningham and Mary Grace Bernard,