For this project we had to make our own shoebox ofrendas for deceased people who inspired us, family members, or fictional characters, using items of personal possessions or items relating to authentic ofrendas. I found this project more difficult than I anticipated. I never actually celebrated Dia de los Muertos, and though I already have an altar honoring the person I chose, I never actually made one myself. It took more effort to find the things to represent my person and what they loved. I chose to mix elements of traditional ofrendas, the altars that my family does, and my own twist into my piece. Even if the process was challenging, I found the outcome rewarding.
Something I enjoyed the most about this project would have to be the process and the product itself, even if it was more challenging as the work went by. I enjoyed it the most because it gave me more insight about rituals for the passed souls, I got to learn more about who I chose, and the display looked better than I'd hope. For a bit more information on my ofrenda, I had to write an Artist Statement, which included the following:
I made this ofrenda to honor my dad, Tri Tran. He was born on January 23rd, 1973 and prematurely passed on July 16th, 2015. He spent ⅓ of his life, living in Vietnam, before finally setting foot in America. There, he met the love of his life, and my mom, Samantha Mon. Together, they made so many memories, they made their own family, and they loved each other very much. I chose my dad because I love him so much, and he was one of the most amazing people I’ve ever had the honor to meet. I only wish people could know him the way I, and so many others, do. There wasn’t a day where you wouldn’t see his smile, or hear his laugh, he had this aura about him that made anyone like him. I hope I had conveyed a glimpse of him in my ofrenda. I had decorated it with photographs of him when he was a bit younger, pictures and items of traditional asian altar pieces, flowers almost resembling his favorite color, colorful papel picado, a guitar ornament, some of his E-cigarette liquid, candles, incense sticks, wedding ring decoration, and a box filled with coffee and tea bags. I just included many things that he used to enjoy with our family, smoking being his only exception to stay away. Looking at it now, I miss him dearly and though we do have an altar for him at home, I wish that he finds comfort in my ofrenda.
I also enjoyed seeing my other classmate's ofrendas, the person they chose and the little pieces of both the honored and the honoring in the ofrenda. Every single shoebox were decorated wonderfully and the exhibitions for it were a bit more exciting and beautiful than most I've been in.
Near the end of the project, and just before the final exhibition, we had a small critique session for the finished ofrendas. The class just went around in rounds, critiquing any available ofrenda in the class. I managed to get a lot of warm and cool feedback on my piece. Reading through them, they definitely would've helped if we all hadn't already finished them in the time given, it was only because we already added and permanently stuck everything in place, that we could only add little bits to make it better instead of fixing more of the problem areas.
If I were able to give myself a grade, I would hope I deserve an A. Like in all of my previous projects, I put in my all into my product. I made sure to add everything that was required and more into my shoebox ofrenda. It was not just the fact that I put my whole efforts into this product, bu it just held a lot more meaning for me because it's very personal to me and my family. I also participated in both the exhibition at the Mission San Luis Rey and the final exhibition, face-painting and telling some audience members about our project.
If I could change something about this project, I would love to properly honor the person I chose, because I feel like I could have something more to the ofrenda I made, or I would want to add more detail into/organize my product. With the critique I got a bit later than I would've liked, I wish I could have received it earlier just so i can fix what I can before making the final decision of what goes where.