LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN MEXICAN MAUSOLEUM ANCESTOR ALTAR AT LONGMONT MUSEUM'S EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS EXHIBIT

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's mausoleum altar,
in honor of her relatives, Rose and Frank Francia.

A rose is perfect,

with an indelible heart.

So why do they fade?

Laurie Beth Zuckerman has created a new altar for the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center's 2013 El Día de los Muertos exhibition. This Day of the Dead altar is a memorial of Rose and Frank Francia, the matriarch and patriarch of the Francia/Zuckerman family. This altar was built inside of a mausoleum structure, designed by myself and the museum's exhibition staff who also built it. It is derivative of mausoleums in Colonial Mexico that I have photographed in Oaxaca's municipal cemetery.

This is the third year I have contributed both an altar installation and Mexican cemetery photography to the Longmont Museum's annual exhibition. This time I was invited by the museum to participate on the committee to design this show. The concept this year was to turn the main gallery into a Mexican cemetery, known in Spanish as El Panteon. For my altar and photographic contributions, I received a stipend and an honorarium, and was invited to give a public lecture and gallery walk on October 16, 2013.

The El Día de los Muertos exhibition is currently on display through November 10, 2013. The ever popular Family Day Celebration is held on November 2. Two thousand people are expected to participate on that day, which officially honors the Day of the Dead in cemeteries throughout Mexico and Hispanic-American communities. I have included a few photographs taken during the festival.

Rose Francia's vintage porcelain statue of Our Lady of Fatima is from Portugal.

Below are photos of my Mausoleum Altar in context with the cemetery display created in the Longmont Museum's main gallery by the staff and volunteers.

The archway into the museum's cemetery display includes this flower stall,
being admired by Fort Collins environmental artist, Lynne Hull.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's mausoleum is featured in the
Longmont Museum's Mexican cemetery installation.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's mausoleum is featured in the
Longmont Museum's Mexican cemetery installation.

Families with kids in costume peak through the wrought iron doors of
Laurie Beth Zuckerman's mausoleum at her altar.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman provided her Mexican cemetery photography to the
walls and hallways of the Longmont Museum's El Día de los Muertos Exhibition.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman contributed her Mexican cemetery crypt photography
and design concept to this crypt wall built for the Longmont Museum exhibition.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman contributed her Mexican cemetery crypt photography
and design concept to this crypt wall built for the Longmont Museum exhibition.

The November 2 Day of the Dead Family Day Celebration
included these beautifully dressed singers in front of the crypt wall.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS GUADALUPE AND VIRGIN MARY IN FORT COLLINS' HISTORIC CATHOLIC CHURCHES

A Virgin of Guadalupe window sticker next door to the
historic Holy Family Catholic Church in Fort Collins, Colorado

Laurie Beth Zuckerman had often wondered what she might find in Fort Collins' two landmark Catholic churches. Assuming they could be nothing like the colonial churches she likes to photograph in Latin America, these two turn-of-the-century churches actually hold some surprising riches. 

Today I am sharing scenes from the Saint Joseph Catholic Church, constructed in 1900 from sandstone blocks quarried in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I entered the church on a day when not a soul was in the main chapel or praying at the altar. I photographed it all, but prefer the simplicity of this side prayer chapel to the more modern main altar. I was impressed by the 19 gothic stain-glassed windows throughout the vaulted church, depicting the Divine Mysteries.

Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Collins was constructed in 1900

19 gothic stained-glass windows are the most distinctive aspect 
of the interior of the historic Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Saint Joseph Catholic Church lovely side chapel

Virgin Mary plaster statue in the Saint Joseph Catholic Church chapel

A plaster statue of Saint Joseph and baby Jesus in the chapel

I have posted these sightings of Mary in conjunction with Rebecca Brooks' Mornings with Mary. Please click on this link to view all of the wonderful words and photos at Rebecca's site.

Learn more about Rebecca's Loving Lupita journey to San Miguel de Allende. I will be joining Rebecca and teaching a Memory Nicho Altar workshop during her December 10-19 tour of this historic colonial region of Mexico. Come away with us!

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOS OF HOLY FAMILY CHURCH, FORT COLLINS, COLORADO

The Holy Family concrete statue

Juan Diego concrete statue holding the cloak of the Virgin of Guadalupe

Closeup of the handpainted Virgin of Guadalupe

Back side of the Juan Diego concrete statue

The Holy Family Church with nicho containing statue of the Holy Family

The concrete statue of the Holy Family stands at the left of the church.

This week I discovered two sweet concrete statues outside The Holy Family Catholic Church of Fort Collins, Colorado. One is the Holy Family, Mary, Joseph, and the boy Jesus. The other is the infamous Juan Diego, holding his cloak with the miraculous image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Sadly, the statue of the Guadalupe is now missing from the landscape, and the fountain was not running. (See the photo below from the church website for reference.)  I planned to photograph inside the church, but it was locked. I will have to visit one morning after Mass, and ask what happened to the Guadalupe.

Photo of The Holy Family Catholic Church

Built in 1924, this historic Old Town church began serving Spanish-speaking Catholic sugarbeet workers at the Great Western Sugar plant. Their community, known as "Alta Vista" and "Spanish Colony," was founded in 1927. There is now the Museo de las Trés Colonias, dedicated to the history of these Hispanic communities. I will make a foray there the next time it is open. Fort Collins History Connection

Forgotten Fort Collins's website tells the story of Lee Martinez who helped build the church. His family came from Southern Colorado's Huerfano County in 1906. I am enjoying reading about his prominent role in the early days of Fort Collins history.

So...much more photography to come in my exploration of the Spanish-Catholic influences on this frontier town of Fort Collins.

Please stop by and visit Rebecca Brooks' Mornings with Mary, as I have linked my post to her sharing.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE ALTARS IN MEXICO

A cemetery Guadalupe in Oaxaca's San Miguel Panteon

Laurie Beth Zuckerman invites you to accompany artist and host, Rebecca Brooks to a world of colorful altars and cemetery nichos in the land of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This adventure to Colonial Mexico is scheduled for December 10-19, 2013. Rebecca has invited me to teach a two-day Memory Nicho Workshop, an option for all who join Rebecca's Loving Lupita folk art tour, highlighting this ancient December 12 festival of La Virgen de Guadalupe.

By sharing my photos of altars dedicated to La Virgen de Guadalupe, the archetypal saint of Mexico, I hope to inspire you to join Rebecca, and myself on this unique adventure.

PLEASE visit Rebecca Brooks blog for Sunday's "Postcards from Paradise"for a taste of what she imagines for her December tour of San Miguel de Allende.

La Virgen of Guadalupe prays in a nicho shrine in
La Luz Panteon, San Miguel de Allende

A special altar to La Virgen de Guadalupe stands
at the entrance to the El Panteon municipal cemetery in Oaxaca,
decorated for the Guadalupe festival

This Guadalupe altar in the Templo San Felipé Neri,
in old Oaxaca city, is simply dressed for her season

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN PHOTOGRAPHS NEW MEXICAN GUADALUPE ARTWORK IN SANTA FE

The Virgin of Guadalupe, Sanctuario de Chimayo, New Mexico

The Virgin of Guadalupe, Sanctuario de Chimayo side chapel, New Mexico

Stained Glass window in El Sanctuario de Guadalupe Church, Santa Fe, New Mexico

El Sanctuario de Guadalupe Church, Santa Fe, New Mexico

This morning I am linking up with Rebecca Brooks' Mornings with Mary at her recuerda mi corazon website. I am sharing images of several Virgen de Guadalupe images that I photographed at two of the most popular shrines in Northern New Mexico. The first is El Sanctuario de Chimayo, built in 1813, and located north of Santa Fe along the High Road to Taos. The second site is El Sanctuario de Guadalupe Church, built in 1781, and located in the historic Guadalupe district of Santa Fe.

If Our Lady of Guadalupe is your passion, you may consider traveling to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico with Rebecca, and me, on her Loving Lupita journey, December 10-19, 2013.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN TEACHES MEMORY NICHO ALTAR WORKSHOP IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, MEXICO WITH REBECCA BROOKS

La Virgen de Guadalupe altar,
photo taken in San Miguel de Allende by Rebecca Brooks.

Celebrate the December 12, 1531, miracle of La Virgen de Guadalupe in historic San Miguel de Allende this December 10-19, 2013.  Discover what Our Lady of Guadalupe, the most beloved symbol of Mexico, represents for your personal life, with artist host, Rebecca Brooks on her LOVING LUPITA magical tour of Guadalupe festivals, Christmas posadas, processions, folk artisans, and colonial churches.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman will lead an optional two-day Memory Nicho workshop that will enhance your exploration of La Lupita, and dovetail perfectly with Rebecca's exciting excursions.

Laurie will guide you in creating a wooden shadowbox shrine (in Spanish: nicho) to contain all the symbols that have touched your soul in Mexico, and express your adoration of La Lupita. As the focal figure of your nicho, you will make a reverse-glass painting of the Guadalupe, employing the Medieval style used for painting sacred icons. Laurie will provide all the templates you will need to create your version of a traditional or contemporary image of La Lupita.

Inspired by Laurie's traditional memory jug techniques in her popular MEMORY JUGS BOOK, you will embellish your wooden altar with found-object adornments scavenged in the marketplaces of San Miguel, and from your personal treasure trove at home. Using paints and gilding, the entire surface of your nicho will develop a richly-textured patina, to mimic the antique gilded altars we will visit in San Miguel's famed colonial churches.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman created this nicho shrine
in honor of her mother, using a vintage Mexican shadowbox.
Photo by Laurie Zuckerman

Vintage foil and reverse glass-painting of La Virgen de Guadalupe,
on display in a Oaxacan restaurant. Photo by Laurie Zuckerman

I found this vintage Mexican reverse glass and foil painting 
of the Guadalupe in an antique store in Colorado years ago.
Photo by Laurie Zuckerman 

AND, just to wet your appetite for all things Guadalupe and Mexican, here are just a few of Laurie's photos of the Guadalupe church festival altars in Oaxaca, Mexico.

La Virgen de Guadalupe altar festival under construction by two altaristas
at the Nuestra Señora de las Nieves church in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Photo by Laurie Zuckerman

La Virgen de Guadalupe altar at the Nuestra Señora de las Nieves
church in Oaxaca, Mexico. Photo by Laurie Zuckerman

La Virgen de Guadalupe altar festival in the Basilica church,
 Oaxaca, Mexico. Photo by Laurie Zuckerman

La Virgen de Guadalupe altar festival in Teotitlan del Valle church,
Oaxaca, Mexico. Photo by Laurie Zuckerman

For much more information about this tour and to secure reservations, please contact Rebecca Brooks at her website: http://www.corazon.typepad.com or email her at: recuerda_mi_corazon@yahoo.com

For more information about this workshop, please comment on this post or contact Laurie Beth Zuckerman at this site. lauriebethzuckerman@gmail.com

Read more about the history of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

LAURIE BETH ZUCKERMAN TEACHES MEMORY JUGS WORKSHOP IN BOULDER, COLORADO, AUGUST 24-25 at Susan Wechsler's Studio

Laurie Beth Zuckerman's personal memory jug entitled, "Mother of Pearl"
 dedicated to her mother, Blanche Kleid Zuckerman, 1922-2001.

Please click on the flier above to read about Laurie Beth Zuckerman's
August 24-25 Memory Jugs Weekend Workshop in Boulder, Colorado.

TWO SPACES REMAIN in Laurie Beth Zuckerman's weekend Memory Jug Workshop, August 24-25. Click on the flier above to read more about this special workshop in Boulder, Colorado.

Laurie Beth Zuckerman will teach a third session of her two-day Memory Jugs weekend workshop, as the special guest artist of Susan Wechsler Mosaics on August 24-25, 2013. This is a special opportunity to work with two internationally recognized found-object assemblage artists in a private workshop limited to ten participants at Susan's mosaics studio in Boulder, Colorado. I am looking to fill the last two spaces, as I have students arriving from California, Texas, Virginia, and Ohio. 

I will guide each participant in creating their own personal MEMORY JUG, inspired by this enigmatic Victorian-era, American folk art form of memorial art. Susan Wechsler, renowned for her mosaic shrines and memory dresses, will be my assistant throughout this workshop. You will receive one-on- one, hands-on advice from each of us throughout the weekend.

My last workshop in June, hosted by Susan Wechsler, was completely full with artists from around the country. Everyone worked so diligently and their memory jugs were fascinating works of art. I will continue posting photos to this blog post as everyone finishes their unique creations.

During my last Memory Jug Workshop in Boulder, June 8-9, 2013, these three participating artists created their unique interpretations of this American folk craft. There is amazing diversity in this "mosaic-like" medium.

This beautiful memory jug was made by Emily Henderson of Denver.

This elegant jug was created by Peg Harper of Longmont.
Peg added lots of objects she had molded with polymer clay.

A work-in-progress photo showing Peg Harper's memory jug
during my last two-day workshop in June. Compare this before
image with the one above of Peg's finished jug.

This bold and whimsical memory jug was made by Cindy Shepard of Hurst, Texas,
who also included handmade pieces of her own, as well as a host of found objects.

For workshop details and to make your reservations, contact Laurie Beth Zuckerman at 970-482-5589 or lauriebethzuckerman@gmail.com

And if you can't make my next workshop, you may want to check out my 254-page Memory Jugs Book on CD in the meantime. You can order this CD for $20 from this website:

http://lauriezuckerman.blogspot.com/2013/02/laurie-beth-zuckermans-memory-jugs-book.html

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