LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S EL PANTEON CEMETERY CRYPT FROM GUANAJUATO, MEXICO

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of cemetery crypt, Guanajuato, Mexico

Due to Winter Storm Virgil, I have spent much of my Spring Break holed up at my computer working on photos from my trips to Colonial Mexico during the Day of the Dead, the Christmas Posadas, and other times of the year. I am busy preparing images for the upcoming Día de los Muertos Exhibition at the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center. This will be the third year I am participating in this show full of altars, folk art, and photography. I have had huge altars and enlarged photographs displayed the past two years. This year I am hoping to incorporate both into one large installation. I have been invited to be on the planning committee for this year's exhibition, and the meetings are still to come. I will let you know more as the ideas develop.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman El Panteon Cemetery Crypt, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's photo of cemetery niche, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S MEMORY JUG WORKSHOP IN BOULDER, CO: JUNE 8-9, 2013 at Susan Wechsler's Mosaic Studio

Please click on the flyer above to read about Laurie Beth Zuckerman's
June 8-9 Memory Jugs Weekend Workshop in Boulder, Colorado.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "Tarnished Angels" Memory Jug Reliquary, 2012,
honors my mother and father.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "Tarnished Angels" Memory Jug Reliquary showing all four sides

Laurie Beth Zuckerman will lead a second two-day weekend workshop at the mosaic studio of Susan Wechsler in Boulder, Colorado, June 8-9, 2013. This is a special opportunity to work with two internationally-recognized found-object assemblage artists. I will guide each participant in creating their own personal MEMORY JUG RELIQUARY, inspired by this enigmatic Victorian-era American folk art of Memory Jugs and Memoryware. 

Susan Wechsler will assist me in this memory jug workshop. She was an awesome student in my last workshop that I held at her studio on February 16-17. What a great group and so talented. We all agreed it was a wonderful experience. Everyone worked so diligently and their memory jugs were fascinating with all the detail in their collections of memorabilia.

Pictured below is one of Susan's Memory Dresses. I am enthralled by the textures and colors we were able to create in her dress. Her 20-year background in art and mosaics made this challenging process proceed smoothly throughout the weekend. Susan is a natural.

Susan Wechsler transformed her Memory Dress form

using several of Laurie's memory jug techniques for the first time.

Pictured below are additional photos I snapped during the workshop. I love how they capture the deep state of concentration each of these participants experienced during the class. Each of the four students explored a unique approach and theme to their Memory Jug. I will post finished pictures of the finished jugs when I receive them all. 

February's Memory Jug Workshop at Susan Wechsler's Studio.
From left: Krystie Rose Millich, Dawn Putney, and Diana Muniz. 

Diana Muniz flew in from Houston, Texas to create
her Memory Jug honoring the passages of her life.

Dawn Putney from Fort Collins, Colorado utilizes
the workshop to create a memorial to her grandmother.

For workshop details and reservations, read the above flyer, or contact: 

lauriebethzuckerman@gmail.com or call Laurie at 970-482-5589

For workshop reservations: 

susan.wechsler@gmail.com or call Susan at 303-485-0636

http://www.mosaicsbysusan.com/

Susan Wechsler Newsletter

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S MEMORY JUGS BOOK CD: Images, Instructions and Theories: How to make folk art memory jugs, memory vessels, and memoryware

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's MEMORY JUGS BOOK ON CD, 253-page 2013 edition is the only complete resource on how to make memory jugs and other folk art memory vessels and memoryware. This "workshop in a book" provides Laurie's detailed, step-by-step instructions, plus images of her unique memory jug artworks. 

MEMORY JUGS BOOK includes an extensive photo gallery of antique and vintage memory jugs has been edited and compiled from museums, galleries, private collectors, and auctions. The CD includes historical discussions and debates about this enigmatic folk art tradition, commonly associated with Southern African-American funeral customs, Victorian mourning practices, and Outsider Art. Folk art collectors will appreciate the links to folk art dealers who sell antique and vintage memory jugs, as well as links to the best contemporary memory jug artists in the US and England. Found-object assemblage, mixed-media, and mosaic artists throughout the United States, as well as artists in Canada, Europe, and Australia have enjoyed this publication. 

Laurie Beth Zuckerman is an internationally recognized and published artist who specializes in making Victorian-style and contemporary memory jugs, home altars, and large-scale altar installations for exhibition in museums, universities, and galleries. Laurie's creations have been profiled in Lynne Perrella's two most recent books, Art Making, Collections, and Obsessions, and Art Making and Studio Spaces. MEMORY JUGS BOOK was recently featured in Antiques and Collecting Magazine's article on Memory Jugs by David McCormick in February 2011, shown below.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Memory Jugs Book was recommended

in the February 2011 issue of Antiques & Collecting Magazine

___________________________________________________

HOW TO ORDER LAURIE'S MEMORY JUGS BOOK ON CD:

Order the MEMORY JUGS BOOK ON CD for $20, plus $3.10 for shipping and handling within the United States by following one of these two easy payment methods:

Payment with Credit Card via Paypal: You do not need to have a Paypal account to use this service. Just click the button below.

Payment by Check or Money Order: Please email Laurie to request an invoice for your CD: lauriebethzuckerman@gmail.com

Money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with your CD purchase.

___________________________________________________


MEMORY JUGS BOOK CD CUSTOMER COMMENTS:

"When I made that memory jug... I received a kind comment from Laurie Beth Zuckerman... It was a pleasant surprise as I instantly recognized Laurie's name from my initial discovery of these fantastic folk art objects. I'd even put together a little sheet of her jugs, which I printed out and it sits just above my Mac. She makes beautiful memory jugs, do check them out. Anyway, it put Laurie back on my radar and I saw she had a cd book available to buy on her blog, $20, so I did..... and it's FANTASTIC!! I highly recommend buying a copy. Not only is there a great selection of images, jugs both historical and those made by Laurie herself, but there's also a wealth of information from the history of these jugs to how to make your very own (mine was a rather scattershot approach in comparison!!) Here are just a few examples of what you will find if you wisely buy a copy. Laurie kindly gave me permission to use some of her images on here. Beautiful aren't they? I'm looking forward to making my next one now!" Garrett Life Blog by United Kingdom artist, Scott Garrett.

"Your wonderful CD arrived today, and I have stayed up 'til 2:30AM reading it! (I only meant to take a quick look, but couldn't stop!) What a great resource! You must have worked hard to assemble all this information, instructions, and great photos of so many kinds of memory jugs, and it was well written too! I'm off to bed now, but I will be coming back to read and re-read."

"I just wanted to thank you for the CD. I've been studying it for hours. You are a very generous artist. It is full of great information with thorough instructions that will help me develop my own Memory pieces. The photos of vintage and contemporary work are a treasure. Your pieces are spectacular. Rich design and so full of depth and meaning."

"Thank you so much for the CD I really enjoyed it and was very inspired by the examples. I found the CD full of great information, from the interesting ideas on history, to the how to section and list of traditional objects. I was mostly excited by the lovely photos, I haven't been able to find many examples of old jugs so they are great reference material for me and I liked how you categorized them. I will recommend the CD on my site to anyone interested in making a jug or wanting more information on them."

"I love love love your book!!! Thank you so much. Very inspirational and thank you for the instructions. I have not gotten started yet but am looking forward to starting soon. I can see that preplanning is a good idea. I have looked at memory jugs for years and wondered how on earth they were made. I knew it had to be pretty simple materials as they didn't have all the fancy epoxies that we have today. Your book really helped clear up the mystery. Your memory jugs are fabulous!!!"

"Received your CD book in the mail. Love it! Such a wonderful collection of photos of memory jugs, including our inspiration piece that we saw on the Antiques Roadshow a few years ago, "The Thing"! So neat to see a picture of it in your book! We were so ready to start our project, that we finished it in one evening. The pieces had been sitting on the kitchen table for two weeks! We are happy with the final results."

"I got your book/CD in the mail and can't take my eyes off the screen. What a terrific job you did with this book and how generous you are to share all of those tips. I cannot WAIT to get to the store and buy the supplies and start exploring. I had no idea that there were others out there who shared my passion, my fascination with memory jugs…and more."

"Received your CD and I really loved it. Wow, what beautiful imagery and I enjoyed the history and deeper meaning of these vessels. I thoroughly enjoyed viewing not only the imagery of the Memory Jug but getting a deeper understanding of the symbolism and the creative process in regards to making them. It was very inspiring to me."

"Wow. I just discovered your incredible art and ordered your CD book. I cannot WAIT to get it. I've been making mosaic structures for years, but have been frustrated with my inability to find a putty, as was used years ago in making memory jars. I hope you have the answer in your book. Can't wait to see more of your work, too!"

"I just got my CD from Laurie Zuckerman. It's a fabulous book that gives the history and shows all the different types of jugs, vases, bowls, that people have covered with trinkets of their lives. Laurie is a fabulous artist. Check out her altars and memory jugs. If you love folk art or Mexican art like me, you'll love her art."

"I watched—read LOL your CD last night and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. It is a very unique and informative way to present the memory jugs and its relations. I can’t wait to share it with my friends. Your hard work and love for the art form shows in the presentation. It was well worth the $20."

"I love the CD!! I just got home from vacation and have piles of laundry and other unpacking to do, but…had to pop in CD…and couldn't stop!! It's very inspiring and informative. Several points you made hadn't occurred to me. It was well worth the selling price. I am sure I will refer to it over and over."

"I wanted to tell you how much I love the memory jug book. These objects have always moved me somehow and to see such an array is just unbelievably compelling. I have to admit, I love yours the best! ALL of your pieces are somehow so haunting and complex and memorable. Thanks for such a treat!"



"I finally got to check out the CD. I am VERY happy with it. All the wonderful photos of different types of memory art. My favorite in the book is the one you did in memory of your father. Unbelieveably beautiful. I now can't wait to get started on my first one. Your book helped so much."



"I am just overwhelmed by the Memory Jars CD. It is the most comprehensive and inclusive work on them that I have ever encountered. I am so grateful to have found your website, and thrilled to have ordered the CD."

"I received the CD yesterday and watched it through with great interest (avid, I should say). I am very impressed by your scholarship, your collections, and–of course–the memory jugs themselves."



"I got your CD in the mail this week and have spent some time today looking it over.  It's a wonderful art history book. The history is so interesting and important to know before embarking on a project."

"It's arrived!... and it's FANTASTIC!!... better than I even expected... and I expected it to be really good!! Thank you!"

"What an amazing art form you have taught to others. As far as memory preservation, it beats scrapbooking any day!!!"

"The cd is full of all the information one needs to make these crazy folksy works of art. I bought and love it. BUY it!"

"I purchased your CD recently from ebay...OMG I love it!!!! Can not wait to try one on my own."



"Received the CD and have only had time to skim it, but my initial reaction is (and you may quote me) 

"OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG! The photographs alone were enough to make me hyperventilate."

"Your jugs are more authentic and thought-provoking than other modern ones I have seen."

"AWESOME e-book I can't wait to make one. GREAT CD and PICS. Thanks so much!!"

"I am enjoying the CD so much. There is a wealth of information on it. Thank you!"

"Your CD is very inspiring! You have lots of great information in your CD."

"A - Z, useful source of info for memory ware and related folk art."

"I am in awe of what you create. I would like to order your CD."

"Excellent resource and thanks for all the examples pictured."

"Just a note to say that I LOVE the book! It is beautiful."

"Love the CD, would love to take your class."

"Very informative!! Wonderful images!"

"LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!!!!!"

"This is a great buy."

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN MEMORY JUGS AT LINCOLN CENTER'S VISIONS AND VIEWPOINTS NATIONAL JURIED ART COMPETITION 2012-13

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "My Three Mothers" Memory Jug 2013

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "My Three Mothers" Memory Jug 2013

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "My Three Mothers" Memory Jug 2013

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "Skating on Thin Ice" Memory Jug 2013 displayed
in the lobby of the Lincoln Center. My husband is in the background.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "Skating on Thin Ice" Memory Jug 2013

Visions and Viewpoints National Juried Competition at the Lincoln Center Gallery.
My memory jug is on the pedestal in the middle of this view.

The Lincoln Center Gallery in Fort Collins hosted a national competition of fine art and I was lucky to have two of my found-object memory jugs selected for this exhibition by Guest Jurors Louis Recchia and Zoa Ace. Competitions are always hit-or-miss, but this time I studied the jurors' artwork on their websites, and entered pieces that were both colorful and whimsical, based on their visual leanings. 

This is my first time exhibiting in this newly remodeled gallery, my favorite venue in Fort Collins. 

The show, which opened last year on November 30, finished up yesterday, January 5, 2013 and I ran down with my tripod and camera to grab these installation views. So many reflections and lights make for a sparkling show but lend some difficult photography conditions. 

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "My Three Mothers" Memory Jug Closeup

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "Skating on Thin Ice" Memory Jug Closeup

Below is the preview article from the Loveland, Colorado Reporter Herald about the exhibition.

Here is the link to the Lincoln Center Gallery to view its past and current exhibitions.

THOMAS MATHIES' CARVINGS OF CRUCIFIXES AND SKULLS (LAURIE ZUCKERMAN'S HUSBAND)

Thomas Mathies' carving of Jesus Christ on the cross is hand-hewn from
cottonwood roots he found along the Poudre River outside of Fort Collins.
Traditional egg tempera and gesso, typical of colonial New Mexican
religious folk art, were used for painting and antiquing the forms.

Thomas Mathies' cross carving with skulls is handmade from cottonwood roots.
Below is an authentic wood carving of San Jose (Saint Joseph) by the
famous 19th century New Mexican woodcarver, José Benito Ortega.

Closeup of Thomas Mathies' wooden cross with skulls 

Closeup of Thomas Mathies' wooden skulls 

I am so lucky to have a husband who is an amazing artist. Tom Mathies has been creating several amazing carvings this past year from found cottonwood in the style of Colonial New Mexican religious folk art. These are my birthday and Christmas presents!!!

Tom is professional a research animal biologist, but he has always had an artistic side. On the other hand, I have always been an artist with a biologist bent. We met on a nature adventure to Costa Rica in 1985 and just celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary. While on our honeymoon to the Southwest, I bought the San Jose carving at an American Indian jewelry shop in Moab, thinking it had been made in Mexico. Shortly afterwards we discovered that our San Jose was made in the late 1900s by a famous New Mexican santero, José Benito Ortega. 

We have spent our entire married life researching the works of Ortega and other colonial santeros showcased in museums around New Mexico and Colorado. We own a stack of books on the topic, and have collections numerous crucifixes from Mexico and the Phillipines. Tom's carvings fit perfectly into our religious folk art obsession.

Here is a photo of Tom's creation for my birthday last year. This cross is based on the Colonial New Mexican tradition of straw appliqué, still practiced today. Read more about Tom's cross at my earlier post from 2011.

Thomas Mathies' straw appliqué wooden cross 2011

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S HOME ALTAR TO HER LATE FATHER, GEORGE ZUCKERMAN

Closeup of "My Father's Altar" by Laurie Beth Zuckerman, 12-12-12

"My Father's Altar" by Laurie Beth Zuckerman, 12-12-12

For comparison sake, here are two additional photos
that I took from back in 2003.

Closeup of "My Father's Altar" by Laurie Beth Zuckerman, 2003

"My Father's Altar" by Laurie Beth Zuckerman, 2003

12-12-12. Finally had a chance to photograph "My Father's Altar" this morning. My birthday, and the birthday of the Virgin of Guadalupe. I hadn't taken any recent pictures of the altar since it was out on display at the Loveland Museum Gallery during my "Memento Mori" solo retrospective in fall of 2009. It has really filled in, especially on the bust of Jesus. The other day I promised on this blog that I would post a completely up-to-date picture, dust and all!! So fun to see all of the changes. 

I love the pair of old Mary and Jesus photos on the wall, especially because the Mary is my favorite Mother of Sorrows image. Some of the Mary's have come and gone to other altars, but essentially it is the same altar I wake up to every morning and say goodnight to every evening. I built this altar beginning in October of 1996 when my father first passed away. Sixteen years of collecting the perfect pieces to maintain the look and coloration of this altar. That is a long time to work on one altar. Yet, what seems even longer is the last time I saw my father alive. That seems like a lifetime ago.

Wondering about the Teddy Bear on the altar. My father gave me that Teddy Bear when I was five years old. Still have it after 56 years and have never had to mend it!! The small framed photos are pictures of my mother and father during the first happy years of their marriage.

Post from the other day:

While looking through my photo files of my home altars, I came across these two 2003 shots of "My Father's Altar." At the top of this blog in my banner image is a more recent version of the altar. It is fun to compare the changes that I have made over the years. There are several small statues and frames depicting the Sacred Heart of Mary, although the headliner of this altar is the chalkware bust of Jesus, which came out of an old church in Montana before being sold on the antique market. 

Sadly the vintage glass Christmas bulb rose in the bottom middle was broken by my last male cat, Mr. Munchkie, who I frequently referred to as my little Altar Boy. After one hop up on this altar cabinet, the rose rolled off onto the hardwood floor. End of rose.

Please join my dear friend, Rebecca Brooks at her blog for the 12 days of Mary sharing by artists around the world: Recuerda Mi Corazon. I have linked this post to Rebecca's site on this, Day 12, and previously Day 9 of Mornings with Mary.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN "MOTHER OF SORROWS" HOME ALTAR INSTALLATION

Here is the photo of my late mother, Blanche Kleid Zuckerman that I shared in yesterday's post, December 8, 2013. This is a detail shot of my mother's permanent altar in my home. I choose a variety of reds for this shrine, based on the types of colors my mother enjoyed wearing. The fabrics are vintage velvets, and the antique glassware is known as Goofus glass. It is almost always painted in metallic tones of golds and reds. Several of the small containers hold my mother's jewelry. Even some of the dried roses and other petals on the front of the altar table were saved from the flowers that were given to us when our mother passed away in 2001. Several of Blanche's favorite belongings are also on her altar, including her candelabra, candlesticks, and monogramed pitcher. Everytime I look at the colors and textures, I feel that my mother would approve!!

I have collected many vintage/antique santos from Mexico for this altar. Pictured above is the featured wooden Madonna from Mexico wearing a silver resplendor crown that I purchased especially for her.  Some of my mother's jewelry is hanging from the Madonna's neck, and a tin Sacred Heard of Jesus is just above her head.

Please join my dear friend, Rebecca Brooks at her blog for the 12 days of Mary sharing by artists around the world: Recuerda Mi Corazon. I have linked this post to Rebecca's site on Day 9 and Day 11 of Mornings with Mary.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN DIA DE LOS MUERTOS OFRENDA TO BLANCHE KLEID ZUCKERMAN

I am reintroducing this Day of the Dead altar that I created for the Loveland Museum Gallery's "Grave Matters Exhibition" in 2006 in Northern Colorado. I had framed this old photo of my mother, Blanche Kleid Zuckerman (who my altar was dedicated to) to resemble an iconic religious print of the Virgin Mary. I turned a digital copy of the old photo into a sepia tone and placed it into an old velvet frame. Día de los Muertos ofrenda altars typically employ pictures of one's loved ones who have passed, alongside religious prints and paintings. My photo of my mother served double-duty on my own altar.

I have reposted these pictures in honor of what would have been Blanche's 90th birthday earlier this week. Blanche was born December 4, 1922 in New York City and passed away from ovarian cancer on June 14, 2001 in her home in Santa Monica, California. I am so fortunate to have been with her at her bedside, holding her hand, while she slipped into the great beyond. Happy Birthday, Blanchie!!

Please join my dear friend, Rebecca Brooks at her blog for the 12 days of Mary sharing by artists around the world: Recuerda Mi Corazon. I have linked this post to Rebecca's site.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "Forbidden Fruit" ofrenda installation
was created at the Loveland Museum Gallery
as the focal piece of the 2006 Grave Matters Exhibition

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S MEMORY JUG ARTWORK WITH BROKEN MADONNA HEAD

Today I am sharing a detail of one of my Memory Jug creations entitled, "A Bone to Pick." The porcelain head of the Madonna was a piece I found in a trashcan at a roadside shrine. Yes, the statue had broken and the shrine cleaned up, but this was my lucky day to find this "shard". This Madonna face made the most perfect centerpiece to my memory jug, and I used other found items to construct her body and surround her with antique doll parts. 

Do you want to learn how to make a Memory Jug? On February 16-17, 2013, I am offering a two-day weekend workshop making small memory jugs using one of the traditional styles popular during the Victorian Era, when making memorial jugs and other forms came into vogue in the Eastern and Southern regions of the United States. It has remained one of the most enigmatic folk art forms since the 1800s.

My special guest workshop will be held at the art studio of popular mosaic artist, Susan Wechsler, in Boulder, Colorado. We are planning a limited series of Memory Jug / Memoryware workshops at Susan's studio in 2013.

To sign up for this special workshop, or to learn more about the details, contact Susan Wechsler at: susan.wechsler@gmail.com or 303-485-0636. You can also write directly to me at: lauriebethzuckerman@gmail.com

If you can't make it to my live workshop in February, I always offer my instructional  MEMORY JUG BOOK CD for sale from my blog. Click on the photo or link, or email me to receive your copy for $20 plus shipping/handling.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN "FORGET-ME-NOT" HOME ALTAR INSTALLATION

A jumble of Madonna and Marys populate my "Forget-Me-Not" altar which sits next to my office desk. I was inspired by the Santo Nino de Atocha altars that I have seen in Chimayo, New Mexico. It has a bright feeling in its coloration, but it holds a deeply sorrowful feeling at its core. After my mother, Blanche Kleid Zuckerman passed away, I was worried she would forget me. This home altar is my plea to her to please not forget me, to be my Guardian Angel always. It is also my statement back to her that I will not forget her either. That I will always be the keeper of her flame as long as I am alive to do so. These altars I have been sharing of my mother, whose 90th birthday would have been this week on December 4, hopefully give you an intimate glimpse into the world of my personal family altars.

Please join my dear friend, Rebecca Brooks at her blog for the 12 days of Mary sharing by artists around the world: Recuerda Mi Corazon. I have linked this post to Rebecca's site.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN "IN THE PINK" MADONNA AND CHILD ALTAR

For this fifth day of the "Twelve Days of Mary" celebrated by Rebecca Brooks and her friends at her Recuerda Mi Corazon site, I am reposting a detail of my 2006 altar installation, "In the Pink". This altar features two Italian chalkware Madonnas, one with child. This altar celebrates the loss of my own childhood. After my mother and father passed away leaving me "orphaned", I maniacally created this 7 x 9 foot shrine to my life as the daughter I once was. It took me two years to collect enough pink items to satisfy my sorrow. I built the altar in my downstairs studio, and often slept in the same room just to spend more of my time living with it while I constructed it.

I exhibited this altar at the Rocky Mountain Biennial, a multi-state competition that was held at the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art. It took third prize in this show that filled two floors of the museum. What an honor!! Plus I was invited to lecture at the museum about this altar. Putting all of my deep feelings into words was a huge, huge challenge for me, but I was extremely pleased with how the talk was received.

Please visit other beautiful daily Virgin Marys at Rebecca Brooks' blog, from now until December 12th. I will be posting a different Virgin on my own altars each day, too.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S HOME ALTAR FOR HER FATHER, GEORGE ZUCKERMAN

Back in 1996, I began an altar for my father, George Zuckerman, who had passed away in September. This ancestor altar has grown in depth over the 16 years I have been adding to it. The altar, which permanently resides in my bedroom, thus qualifying it for home altar status, contains many lovely 20th Century Virgin Mary's made of chalkware from molds. Although they are typically generic images, they each take on a patina that renders them unique. You can see other details of this altar at the top of this blog in my banner. Altars are about the whole effect—the gestalt—but that whole is made up of myriad parts, each expressive and wonderful on their own. A good altar is one where everything gels together, because each item on the altar is beautiful and meaningful. I have carefully considered each and every element I collect and place on my father's altar.

I have posted this Mary photo in conjunction with my dear friend, Rebecca Brooks' "Mornings with Mary," an annual tradition that Rebecca hosts on her blog: Recuerda Mi Corazon. Please join in on the sharing of tradition and contemporary Virgin Marys posted by artists around the world, on each morning of December until the culmination of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12th, which just happens to be my birthday! This year the date will read: 12-12-12!! That won't happen for another 100 years!!!

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S BELLA DONNA MEMORIAL ALTAR FEATURES THE VIRGIN MARY

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "Bella Donna Memorial Altar"

installed at the Loveland Museum Gallery 2009

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's "Bella Donna Memorial Altar" displays vintage Madonnas and dozens of other Catholic and eclectic icons, all in bronze-gold tones. Pictured above is a detail of one of my encrusted Marys that honors and holds the memory of my cousin, Donna Zuckerman, who tragically died along with her husband on their honeymoon in 1973. This altar has been exhibited at my solo retrospective at the Loveland Museum Gallery, and the Durango Art Center in Southern Colorado. Please read the statement below that I wrote for the Loveland show.

I have posted this Mary photo in conjunction with my dear friend, Rebecca Brooks' "Mornings with Mary," an annual tradition that Rebecca hosts on her blog: Recuerda Mi Corazon. Please join in on the sharing of tradition and contemporary Virgin Marys posted by artists around the world, on each morning of December until the culmination of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12th, which just happens to be my birthday!

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN'S DIA DE LOS MUERTOS MADRE DOLOROSA OFRENDA AT THE LONGMONT MUSEUM'S DAY OF THE DEAD SHOW

Detail of Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Madre Dolorosa Ofrenda Altar

at the 12th Annual Longmont Museum's Día de los Muertos Exhibition 2012.

Detail of Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Madre Dolorosa Ofrenda Altar

at the 12th Annual Longmont Museum's Día de los Muertos Exhibition 2012

Table details of Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Madre Dolorosa Ofrenda Altar

at the 12th Annual Longmont Museum's Día de los Muertos Exhibition 2012.

Floor detail of Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Madre Dolorosa Ofrenda Altar

at the 12th Annual Longmont Museum's Día de los Muertos Exhibition 2012.

Photos of children: George Zuckerman and Elizabeth Zuckerman.

Floor detail of Laurie Beth Zuckerman's Madre Dolorosa Ofrenda Altar

at the 12th Annual Longmont Museum's Día de los Muertos Exhibition 2012.

Photos of Laurie's parents, Blanche and George Zuckerman.