The Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach continues to be a place where residents and visitors can expand their knowledge of modern and contemporary Latin American and Latino art through its collection, exhibitions, educational programs, and engaging cultural events — including its annual Día de los Muertos Festival.
MOLAA is gearing up to host the annual family-friendly festival next month, with the help of funding raised during this year’s Long Beach Gives campaign.
Día de los Muertos — also known as Day of the Dead — is a day of celebration, particularly for people in Mexico and Central America, and for many Latinos in the United States, to honor and commemorate the lives of the dead and to welcome the return of their spirits. The holiday is celebrated each year from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.
The funding raised through the 2025 Long Beach Gives campaign will primarily support the creation of the community altar during the celebration, slated for Sunday, Oct. 26, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the museum, 626 Alamitos Ave.
The community altar honoring Día de los Muertos is an integral part of the cultural program attached to the event, officials said, as it is developed in collaboration with an artist who will also work with community members to build the altar.
Through its Día de los Muertos Festival, the museum continues to honor tradition and offer multiple educational opportunities for attendees to deepen their understanding and appreciation for this cultural event and host the arts impact this annual celebration, according to the museum’s statement on the Long Beach Gives website.
The community altar is one of the ways people can explore the many diverse narratives and voices of MOLAA’s exhibitions, programs, and participate in engaging and comprehensive hands-on workshops.
This year’s theme, “Resilience,” celebrates the Latino community’s capacity to endure and overcome hardship, while honoring the endurance and legacy of ancestors, officials said on social media.
MOLAA is now accepting applications for vendors and food pop-ups for the festival. Vendors can submit their application online.
-
Semillitas Press-School & Kalpulli Tlaltekuhtli Aztec Dancers performing at Gumbiner Park in Long Beach on Saturday, October. 27, 2018. Following the performance dancer processioned to The Museum of Latin American Art which held Día de los Muertos Festival to celebrate the lives of the deceased. (Photo by Brittany MurrayPress-Telegram/SCNG)
1 of 10
Semillitas Press-School & Kalpulli Tlaltekuhtli Aztec Dancers performing at Gumbiner Park in Long Beach on Saturday, October. 27, 2018. Following the performance dancer processioned to The Museum of Latin American Art which held Día de los Muertos Festival to celebrate the lives of the deceased. (Photo by Brittany MurrayPress-Telegram/SCNG)
Expand
Donations from the Long Beach Gives campaign will also go toward the museum’s APRENDE (LEARN) program — its core arts education program. This program was developed to increase access to high-quality and culturally relevant arts curriculum and experiences in the region’s schools and communities, officials said.
APRENDE seeks to reach the community’s economically and socially disadvantaged youth and residents by providing low-cost or free onsite exhibition tours, online virtual tours, art workshops, lectures and panel discussions, educator training sessions and downloadable curriculum resources, an annual Bilingual Summer Arts & Culture Camp, and other interactive learning experiences.
Programming also includes three major family festivals — the Afro-Latinx Festival, the Asian Pacific Islander Series, and the Día de los Muertos Festival.
“APRENDE allows us to bridge a physical gap with our audience/community and keep providing you with valuable content to support the arts and you during this time,” the museum’s statement says. “Thank you for thinking of MOLAA on the annual Long Beach Gives Day, as we find new and innovative ways to bring art to our communities when they need it the most.”
If you’re planning to visit MOLAA, be aware that there are currently partial gallery closures due to restoration and conservation work on historic floors.
MOLAA’s next exhibit will feature the winners of the 2025 Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) Grants and Commissions Program, highlighting new works by seven artist recipients representing five Latin American countries. The exhibition will be on view at MOLAA from October through March.
The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission rates until Oct. 15 are currently $7 for general admission, and free for children under 12 and MOLAA members. No admission fee applies during MOLAA free Sundays.