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Olga Guzmán checks out her ofrenda hanging at the MIA

Last night the Minneapolis Institute of Arts was filled with Latino-American families, there to see and celebrate the artwork of their children. The first floor gallery area and nearby social room was overflowing with little kids working on art projects, girlfriends and boyfriends chowing down on pork and chicken tamales, and parents taking pictures of their children next to their "ofrendas" or offerings, made in honor of 

Olga Guzmán hasn't lost anyone close to her, so she made a more traditional 

depicting skeletons dancing, singing and sharing a meal. This is her second year making an 

"I'm really busy - working, going to school, writing papers - and I don't get a chance to be creative with art. So  I really love when a chance like this comes along because I feel my creative side can come out."

 were created in crates, used to symbolize the migrant workers who came to the United States looking to support their families.

José Miguel Guerrero stands next to his ofrenda.

magnet school in Minneapolis. As part of the process, they were given video cameras (provided by Best Buy) with which to document their projects, and talk about their work. Administrative Director David Greenberg says he's thrilled with the project and what it offers his students.

Tameka Boyce at the MIA reception with her parents.

18-year old Tameka Boyce chose to use her ofrenda to honor her grandmother, who died in 2004. The crate is filled with pink, her grandmother's favorite color, a poem she wrote and candles with the names of different family members. Boyce says she learned a lot, both about art and about video, in the process.

Domini Guzmán with his ofrenda. Photo by Amanda Hankerson

MIA curator Joe Horse Capture organized the Young People's Ofrenda exhibition and he thinks the project has managed to accomplish a lot for everyone involved.

 runs through November 15 at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

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Marianne Combs

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Students from El Colegio have spent the last several weeks creating ofrendas for Day of the Dead. Their work is now on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Teens honor Day of the Dead at the MIA

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