STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Drink in the mariachi music of an all-female band, watch traditional folk dances from Mexico and create a self-portrait to take home when the Sun Valley Museum of Art hosts its free annual Dia de los Muertos Celebration.

The dancing and music, held in partnership with the Hunger Coalition, will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. at Bloom Farm. There will be traditional music from the Nampa-based Mariachi Tleyotltzin with a performance by SVMoA’s Mexican Folkloric Dance students at 2 p.m.

Attendees will have the opportunity to take a portraiture similar to those that Edward S. Curtis, Will Wilson and Benedicte Wrensted created of Native Americans from the late 1800s to today. While Curtis supplied the Native Americans he photographed with props to create romanticized portraits of what he thought they should look like, Wilson allowed the subjects he photographed to create a self-portraiture with such items as skateboards that they believed showed who they are.

There also will be hands-on crafts, food and drink and a chance to see ofrendas or Day of the Dead altars during this time.

The afternoon celebration will be preceded by two free workshops teaching people how to preserve memories with collage and build altars.

From 10 to 11:30 a.m. artist Marianna Jimenez Edwards will lead a Bilingual Community Workshop: Memories in Collage. The workshop will demonstrate ways of honoring loved ones through the creation of collage art.

Attendees will have the chance to contribute their collages to a Community Day of the Dead altar while learning about the cultural significance of Dia de los Muertos.

From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mesoamerican art historian Fonda Portales will lead a Bilingual Community Workshop: Dia de los Muertos Ofrendas. The workshop will explore the tradition of building altars, or ofrendas, to honor ancestors while uncovering the symbolism and cultural significance of these sacred practices.