ICA Dia de los Muertos Exhibition
Main Altar Exhibition
Context
In East Boston, where more than half the population identifies as Latino, the Veronica Robles Cultural Center has honored the centuries-old tradition of Día de los Muertos for over a decade. Following a month-long series of community activities throughout October, the celebration concludes this Sunday with an exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). The Cultural Center’s current 4,000-square-foot space—now hosting over 100 participants and featuring 11 modular ofrendas—has grown increasingly insufficient for the scale and energy of the event.
The installation of the altars was realized with the support of student volunteers from Harvard and Northeastern, many of whom brought personal connections to the work. For participants of Mexican heritage, the opportunity to engage in the creation of the ofrendas—ritual offerings commemorating the dead—was both an act of remembrance and cultural affirmation.
Concept
This installation resonates with a broader demographic shift: census data reveals that Massachusetts has experienced the largest nationwide increase in its immigrant population between 2010 and 2022, with the majority arriving from Latin America. Since 2013, the state’s Hispanic and Latino communities have grown by over one-third.
In response, one of the central ofrendas was dedicated to those who lost their lives while migrating to the United States. Symbolic objects and projected images honored their journeys, transforming the altar into both a memorial and a space of reflection.
Other altars paid tribute to organ donors, mothers searching for missing children amid cartel violence, and individuals who perished while crossing the Mexico–U.S. border. The installations featured archways of paper flowers and vines, meticulously arranged candles, and towering inflatable skulls—each element serving as a visual offering to the lives and stories too often left untold.
Details
Location.
Year.
Team.
Contribution.
Sponsors.
ICA Watersheld, Boston, MA.
2025.
VROCC, Latin GSD,HUMAS 25 Volunteers.
Research, Exhibition Design, Collaborations Management.
ICA Watersheld, UNAM Boston, Sasaki, New England Donor Services, Massachussetts Health Connector, Peru GSD, East Boston Artists Group.