Marigolds and handmade altars are filling the galleries at the Museum of Sonoma County again this fall, as the Santa Rosa institution marks the 30th year of its Día de Muertos exhibition. The show runs through Nov. 29, pairing decades of community tradition with new artwork from local and regional artists.
The Museum of Sonoma County, located at 425 Seventh Street in Santa Rosa, says it has presented the exhibition every year since 1996, according to the Museum of Sonoma County. Over those three decades, the show has featured altars and artwork created by hundreds of students, artists, altaristas and community members, the museum notes. This year's 30th annual presentation runs Sept. 5 through Nov. 29, with galleries open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, as reported by The Press Democrat.
A Living Tradition Rooted in Catholic and Indigenous Custom
Día de los Muertos is celebrated Nov. 1 and 2 throughout Latin America, though it is most closely associated with Mexico, where the observance originated, the museum's own materials explain. The holiday is described as a joyous remembrance of family members and loved ones who have died, and a celebration of the cycle of life, per the same source. Traditional practices include cleaning and decorating cemeteries, preparing special foods and candies, and building home altars with offerings for the dead — customs that the museum describes as a melding of Catholic and Indigenous traditions.
According to the Press Democrat's reporting, Liz Camino-Byers, who has helped create the museum's Día de Muertos altars for 18 years, has been direct about a common misconception, saying the holiday is not the Mexican Halloween. That distinction matters locally: Halloween falls on Oct. 31, just a day before Día de los Muertos begins on Nov. 1, and the two are often conflated despite having separate origins and purposes, per the Press Democrat's account.
Artists Bring New Interpretations to the Galleries
Among this year's contributors is Maria de los Angeles, who grew up in Sonoma County and now teaches full time at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore while also leading a painting program in Florence for the Yale School of Art, according to the Press Democrat. She created a colorful dress and mask for the 2026 exhibition and led a hands-on Día de los Muertos mask-making workshop at the museum, the outlet reports. De los Angeles said the exhibition mainly honors those who have passed away, per the same account.
The show also includes work responding to La Calavera Catrina, the elegant skeleton figure long associated with Día de Muertos, with some artists reinterpreting the icon this year as a Mexican lucha libre wrestler, the Press Democrat notes. Santa Rosa artist Nathan Gomez is participating in the annual exhibition for the sixth year, per the report. Other listed artists include Mario Uribe, Cristina Briano, Jesus Bravo, Tracy Ferron, Ruben Guzman, Daniela Hernandez, Peter Perez, Alejandro Salazar, Martin Zuniga and Petaluma's Life on Art collective, according to the same source.
Community Altar Invites Visitors to Leave Their Own Memories
The museum also maintains a community altar where visitors are invited to participate by leaving obituaries or notes honoring their own loved ones, the Press Democrat reports. Lana Michaels, the museum's director of education, is cited in the same coverage discussing the exhibition's reach, which the outlet says has drawn roughly 1,000 children in past years.
Block Party Set for Mid-October
A free Día de los Muertos block party is scheduled for Oct. 10 from noon to 4 p.m., according to the Press Democrat's reporting. The event is set to feature live performances, hands-on art activities, live painting, community resource booths and food, per the same account. Listed performers include Danza Xantotl, Pomo dancers and Ballet Folklórico de Petaluma, the outlet reports.
Regular exhibition admission is $12, with discounted rates of $10 for visitors 62 and older and $6 for students, and free entry for those 13 and younger, according to the Press Democrat. The museum can be reached at 707-579-1500 or through its website, museumsc.org, for visitors planning a trip before the show closes at the end of November.
