CSUSB art museum invites community to participate in Festival de Calaveras

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA) at Cal State San Bernardino presents Festival de Calaveras.

RAFFMA invites participants to express themselves through art and design by signing up to decorate a calavera, which is an iconic symbol for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the central and south regions, and by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere. The calavera, which means “skull” in Spanish, is usually an ornately decorated representation of a skull, often featuring flowers, animals and other decorations.

This fun and traditional art activity can be enjoyed as an individual or as a family. RAFFMA welcomes all students, faculty, staff and community members to participate. Registration is free.

Contactless calavera pickup will take place at RAFFMA in Lot M on Sept. 15 and 16. Participants will have approximately two weeks to decorate and then return the completed calavera to RAFFMA on Sept. 28 and 29.

All completed calaveras will be showcased in the virtual Festival de Calaveras, Oct 5-15. The virtual exhibition will take place on the RAFFMA website and @RAFFMAcsusb social media. Calaveras will be auctioned during Dia de los Muertos week (Oct. 27-Nov. 2) to raise money for the university’s Association of Faculty, Staff and Students scholarship fund.

• Sept. 15-16: Festival de Calaveras pickup 
• Sept. 28-29: Festival de Calaveras drop-off of decorated calaveras
• Oct. 5-15: Virtual Festival de Calaveras  
• Oct. 27-Nov.2: Calaveras Auction

Registration and more information about this event can be found on RAFFMA’s Festival de Calaveras webpage.

For questions, please contact raffma@csusb.edu.

About RAFFMA
The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art, nationally accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, houses a collection that includes Egyptian antiquities, ceramics and contemporary art, and hosts 10-12 temporary exhibitions a year. Located at California State University, San Bernardino, RAFFMA presents one of the largest public displays of ancient Egyptian art in Southern California.

The museum offers a variety of opportunities providing valuable hands-on work experience and preparation for future museum-related careers for CSUSB students. RAFFMA is a great location for hosting corporate events, networking events, meetings, social gatherings and K-12 school field trips. During the temporary physical closure of RAFFMA due to the COVID-19 pandemic, guests are invited to participate in RAFFMA @ Home!

Visit the RAFFMA website for more information.