Lecture: Día de los Muertos and the Art of Fulgencio Lazo

Fulgencio Lazo is a Zapotec/Mixtec artist based in Seattle and his hometown of Oaxaca, Mexico. For more than 26 years he has been working with museums, art centers and community groups to create “tapetes” or carpets of colored sand for Mexican Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations. These installations are collaboratively designed and installed with community members over the course of several days. Lazo has had more than 50 solo shows throughout the United States, Mexico, and Japan and is represented by galleries in Oaxaca, Mexico City, Monterrey and Valle de Bravo. In Seattle, where he has lived since 1990, he is most known for his tireless work to create programs and spaces that are inclusive and reflect diverse audiences. He has co-founded some of Seattle’s most iconic traditions within the Latino community, including Seattle’s annual Oaxacan celebration known as Guelaguetza, International Children’s Day, and the Day of the Dead celebrations at many venues, including the Seattle Art Museum. Most recently he co-founded Studio Lazo, an organization of artists and community members creating a welcoming venue that especially showcases the creativity of Latino artists, writers and musicians.

Lazo will lecture on ofrendas, a Día de los Muertos tradition from Mexico, and on his artwork which includes the installations of tapetes, carpets of colored sand in bright compositions to honor the dead.

For the full description of Fulgencio's visiting artist visit to Ann Arbor, see https://lsa.umich.edu/rc/news-events/all-news/search-news/rc-studio-art-program-and-the-ann-arbor-district-library-welcome.html