Dia de Los Muertos 2010 / Day of the Dead 2010
One of my favorite holiday’s growing up in Mexico was Dia de Los Muertos / Day of the Dead (also known as All Saints day)! As a kid, I thought this holiday was all about dressing up as my favorite character and collecting candy. Little did I know that this holiday/tradition was all about celebrating and honoring your loved ones who had passed away!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

This year, our Designer, Dorian Garcia of nairoddesign www.nairoddesign.com did an awesome job honoring my daughter, Angel Musselman who passed away in 2007!

He also did a fantastic job capturing a ‘rockin design for both women and men. Check it out:

Purchase your limited edition tee or hoodie at:
http://www.facebook.com/PalomayaFreedomStrengthLove?v=app_135607783795&ref=sgm

Murals under the stars Oct 23rd 7pm

An outdoor spectacular multi-media presentation bringing the Mexican muralist movement to life under the open sky. Gregorio Luke, renowned expert on Mexican and Latin American art and culture will showcase the extraordinary and intimate inner world of some of the best known artists from the Miradas exhibition now open at MUZEO.

Tickets are $20 for members. $25 general admission.

MUZEO invites you to begin your Murals evening at 6PM in the MUZEO fountain plaza where you can enjoy delicious food and drink and shop artisan booths open before the mural presentation.

Visit MUZEO.org for more details

Hispanic Heritage Month 2010 Festivities – OC & LA

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Southern California with live entertainment, cultural booths, food, carnival games and more…These events will provide fun for your entire family!

Orange County – Santa Ana
Fiestas de Independencia – Fiestas Patrias Downtown Festival
September 18th and 19th, 2010
Fourth Street from Broadway to Minter

Los Angeles
Fiestas Patrias California on Olvera Street at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument
September 18th & 19th, 2010 from 10 am - 10 pm
Olvera Street Plaza, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Downtown LA


Also, check out the Department of Cultural Affairs City of Los Angeles comprehensive guide entitled Latino Heritage Month 2010 Calendar and Cultural Guide

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

I am truly blessed! I get to celebrate multiple Independence Day’s throughout the year. Of course, every year on July 4th, I celebrate our US Independence and for approximately one month, starting on September 15th, many Latin American countries’ Independence is also cause for celebration.

As a child, I remember going to the “Zocalo” (the heart of Mexico City) with my mami and my sister to hear the famous cry of the call to arms, known as “El Grito” to celebrate Mexico’s Independence. I absolutely loved every minute of it! I hope that someday soon, my family and I will be able to take a trip down there in September so they can see for themselves how beautiful our celebrations and traditions are.

Learn more about Hispanic Heritage month on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hispanic_Heritage_Month

MIRADAS: Mexican Art from the Bank of America collection

Visit MUZEO in Anaheim

September 10, 2010 - January 9, 2011

Overview

Miradas: Mexican Art from the Bank of America Collection, organized by the National Museum of Mexican Art in collaboration with Bank of America Corporation, is a unique exhibition of one of the most extensive corporate collections in the U.S. and takes a close look at the paintings, prints and photographs created over the past 80 years. The exhibition is curated by Cesáreo Moreno, NMMA Chief Curator and examines and celebrates work by artists on both sides of the U.S.- Mexico border, to reveal a variety of cultural aspects as they emerged in the years after the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920).
The exhibition was curated by Cesáreo Moreno of the National Museum of Mexican Art in collaboration with Bank of America’s curatorial staff.

Highlights

• A unique survey of over 95 works (paintings, prints and photographs) created over the past 80 years.
• The exhibition examines and celebrates work by artists on both sides of the border to reveal a variety of cultural aspects as they emerged in the years after the Mexican Revolution (1910- 1920).
• The works included are by some of the best-known Mexican artists — Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, Gabriel Orozco, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Gunther Gerzso.
• The exhibition was curated by Cesáreo Moreno of the National Museum of Mexican Art in collaboration with Bank of America’s curatorial staff.

Featured Organization: Breath of Fire - Latina Theatre Ensemble

We love what Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble stands for:

• Opportunity
• Leadership
• Art
• Empower
• Transform
• Change
• Healing

Their mission:
Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble creates opportunities and leadership roles for Latinas in the visual and performing arts. They aim to produce work that reflects impacts and empowers the Latino community. They also believe in the transformative power of theater and aim to raise awareness of critical issues in the community, entertain and challenge, foster cross-cultural understanding, be a catalyst for social justice change, and spiritual healing.

Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble is located at

310 West 5th Street, 2nd Floor, Santa Ana, CA 92701.

http://www.aplaceforart.org/theaters/breathoffire/

Check out tonight’s FREE event: A Crushing Love

Friday, September 10th, 7:00pm
The new documentary by legendary Chicana director Sylvia Morales! In this sequel to her groundbreaking history of Chicana women, CHICANA (1979), pioneering filmmaker Sylvia Morales honors the achievements of labor organizer/civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, author/educator Elizabeth “Betita” Martinez, civil rights advocate Alicia Escalante and historian/writer Martha Cotera and writer/playwright/educator Cherrie Moraga, whose new play "Digging Up the Dirt" had its world premiere at Santa Ana's Breath of Fire Theater.

Celebrating the Gift of Freedom ~ Self-honesty

One of the biggest gifts I’ve received in my life is the capacity to be honest with myself. This practice has given me the opportunity to make changes toward becoming a better human being.

For a long time, I did not have the capacity to be honest with myself and I did a really good job of pointing the finger at what others were doing or not doing instead of looking at myself and looking at what I can do (or not do) to change and become a better person. In the past I may have said, if you wouldn’t have done XYZ, then I wouldn’t have to yell at you. Yuk!

Today, after dealing with a difficult situation, some questions I might ask myself are: Was I being fair in that situation or was I trying to control the situation? Did I keep my side of the street clean or did my actions hurt another human being?

Practicing self-honesty has helped me to stop making excuses for myself and stop blaming other people or situations for my actions. What freedom!

What actions do you take on a daily basis to practice self-honesty? Do you take a daily inventory to see if there are any changes that need to be made to improve your communication techniques and/or your relationships?