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Carefully working her way around the eye sockets of the skull, Inaya Seyed ’26 replicates a skull that resembles ‘La Catrina,’ a well-known Mexican symbol of Día de Los Muertos. Surrounding students painted their own skulls using original designs. “The vibe and the decorations really make this event stand out to me,” Seyed said. “Everyone is super chill and happy and contributes to a very nice vibe of the room.”
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Concentrated and determined, Miguel Torres ’29 and Diego Rey ’28 cut out and tie paper marigolds to create a garland. Along with surrounding students, they followed directions from a crafting video displayed on the screen to create the craft. “I don’t celebrate Día de Los Muertos myself, but I’m glad to be a part of this [event] and celebrate it here,” Rey said.
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With a creative task in mind, seniors Serena Momin, Shanum Momeen, Inaya Seyed, and Raya Blaisdell paint their individual clay skulls. Although some were unfamiliar with painting traditional Mexican sugar skulls, they researched reference photos and allowed themselves to explore a new medium. “We’re painting and glazing the skulls so that [HSA] can have designs when it’s time to put them up on the ofrenda,” Seyed said.
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Giggling and smiling, seniors Ari Fresques, Trish Trang, Lulu Szeto, and Srivibhav Tamarapalli pass around a clay skull, painting the sculpture one at a time. As they focused on their contribution to the ofrenda, other artists gathered around tables to create paper marigolds. “I think culture and art coming together is really beautiful, and art is a way to bring culture to life,” Trang said.
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Meticulously decorating the details of the eye sockets, Quinne Garcia ’29 skillfully paints her skull. Artists who gathered around the skull-painting station took this time to paint and tell jokes.
As leaves turn to fall foliage, students from the Hispanic Student Association (HSA) and National Art Honor Society (NAHS) commence the beginning of Día de Los Muertos, celebrating the dead with elaborately decorated ofrendas (altars), painted sugar skulls, lively spanish music, and bright yellow paths of marigolds. With creative ideas in mind, participants gathered in the library on Wednesday, Sept. 24, to paint clay sugar skulls and cut paper marigolds, honoring the vibrant Mexican tradition of Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with artistic expression.
Along with the decorative aspect of the event, attendees made new friends and deepened existing connections., New memories were made simply from combining art and culture.
“People that are here [might not] know each other, and it’s the purpose of this event to let people know that people that are not from the same place or culture can still be together,” HSA President Maria Rincon ‘27 said. “There’s no need for us to limit ourselves to what and who we know and to stay in our comfort zone. Exploring cultures is part of the general human experience and everyone here is doing that.”
Wishing to incorporate art into their celebration of Hispanic culture, HSA took initiative and reached out to NAHS, proposing a collaborative event to give students that may be unfamiliar with the holiday a chance to honor its legacy.
“I was excited because our president [Ella Kim ‘26] wanted to do club collaborations, and I was really happy when [HSA] reached out to us,” NAHS Vice President Swasthiya Mahesh ‘26 said. “I thought it would be a really good idea to interact with our other clubs and share school spirit and culture.”
As paint palettes and paint brushes covered the tabletops, clay skulls were passed around and decorated, with many working on individual skulls. Relying on teamwork, many participants opted to decorate skulls with the help of their friends, combining art, collaboration, and culture.
“Right now, me and my friends are passing around a clay skull and painting it because there’s not enough to go around,” Trish Trang ‘26 said. “We’re working as a team to reach one goal. I think it’s nice because it combines all our skills and talents.”
To commemorate loved ones who have passed, HSA plans to assemble a bright and colorful ofrenda in the library using paper marigolds and clay sugar skulls made by the event’s attendees, contributing to the artistic element of Día de Los Muertos.
“Día de Los Muertos means to be together around family and to remind us about the deceased, but the togetherness part of it is what makes it beautiful,” HSA Parliamentarian Mainor Lainez ‘26 said. “Celebrating culture with other people is the best thing we can do, because every single person has an individual experience and we get to share that.”
