October 17–November 14, 2026 | Two venues in downtown Carbondale
Celebrate the people we remember and the traditions that keep their stories alive. Artspace Southern Illinois' Festival of the Dead brings together contemporary art, photography, film, and student work inspired by Mexican Día de los Muertos traditions and the Latino communities of Southern Illinois.
Explore exhibitions at the 304 Cultural Arts Center and On the Strip, then join us for conversations about family, cultural identity, and the ways we honor those who came before us.
Join us November 7
Artist Reception | Saturday, November 7, noon–2 p.m. 304 Cultural Arts Center, 304 W. Walnut Street, and On the Strip, 607 S. Illinois Ave., Carbondale
Meet artists and explore Ecos del Alma | Echoes of the Soul during an afternoon celebrating the exhibition.
Food for the Ancestors with Jan Thompson | 1:30–2:30 p.m.
Neil and Mary Ellen Dillard Media and Performance Gallery, inside the 304 Cultural Arts Center
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and SIU School of Journalism Director Jan Thompson shares excerpts from Food for the Ancestors and discusses the role of food in Día de los Muertos ofrendas, the offerings created to honor loved ones who have died. The program includes time for questions and continues beyond the reception.
Ecos del Alma | Echoes of the Soul
October 17–November 14 | 304 Cultural Arts Center
Guest curator: Antonio Martinez
This multimedia exhibition celebrates Latino, Hispanic, and Chicano culture through work by emerging and established Southern Illinois artists alongside art from private and museum collections. Paintings, prints, digital illustrations, Huichol yarn paintings, and alebrijes—colorful sculptures of imagined creatures—explore memory, mythology, the supernatural, and the afterlife.
An ofrenda and traditional and contemporary miracle hands invite visitors to consider how art carries personal hopes and shared histories.
Footprints in the Sky
October 17–November 14 | 304 Cultural Arts Center
Neil and Mary Ellen Dillard Media and Performance Gallery
Daniel Rodríguez’s short film follows P’urhépecha families from Cherán, Michoacán, Mexico, to Cobden, Illinois. Their memories of migration unfold alongside images of monarch butterflies, connecting journeys across borders with a worldview in which butterfly spirits guide travelers. The film is available to view throughout the exhibition.
Estamos Aquí | We Are Here
October 23–November 14 | On the Strip
Guest curator: Julia Rendleman
Photographs made by SIU photojournalism students during a 2024 workshop in Cobden and Alto Pass offer an intimate view of everyday life in Southern Illinois’ Mexican community. The exhibition celebrates the people and experiences that shape the region’s cultural identity.
Milagros Project | Miracle Hands
Student artwork at both venues
Milagros, Spanish for “miracles,” are small devotional charms associated with gratitude, healing, and hope. A traditional miracle hand from Jalisco, Mexico, and Antonio Martinez’s contemporary cedar hands connect this folk-art tradition with new interpretations.
SIU art educator Jody Paulson developed a lesson that invited area students to create their own miracle hands through personal reflection and conversations about community traditions.
At On the Strip, October 23–November 14: work by students from Du Quoin Middle School, Cobden Junior High School, Murphysboro Middle School, and Cobden High School.
At the 304 Cultural Arts Center, October 17–November 14: work by Carbondale Community High School students.
Plan your visit
304 Cultural Arts Center
304 W. Walnut Street, Carbondale, IL 62901
Wednesday–Saturday, noon–5 p.m. | 618-457-5100
On the Strip
607 S. Illinois Avenue, Carbondale, IL 62901
Tuesday–Saturday, noon–5 p.m. | 618-300-9300
Exhibitions are open during regular gallery hours. Special programs take place at the times listed above.
Questions? Contact connect@artspacesouthernillinois.org. View venue information and hours.
Artists and acknowledgments
Ecos del Alma artists: Joshua Beltran, Rafa Fraga, Alex Guerrero, Mark Jimenez, Rob Lopez, Antonio Martinez, and Sydney Torrez.
Additional works on loan by Tekpatl, Rayos Magos, Carlos Barbrena, Victor de Jesus, Raul Sisniega, Juan De Dios Mora, Nicolas de Jesus, Esperanza Martinez, and Ricardo Xavier Serment.
Estamos Aquí photographers: Enan Chediak, Rob Le Cates, Cydnee Totzke, Nicole Fox, Lylee Gibbs, Tyriq Johnson, Amilia I. Estrada, Sia Dey Koontz, and Dominique Martinez-Powell.
Special thanks to Jan Thompson and Bruce Kraig; SIU’s Sharp Museum; El Paisano Bar and Grill; and Antonio Martinez for sharing artwork and collections. Festival graphics by Antonio Martinez.
Earlier festival events
October 17 | Inverting the Sacred: Bearing Witness to Forgotten Cemeteries. Archaeologist Ryan M. Campbell, PhD, explored forgotten burial grounds and what they reveal about how communities remember their ancestors.
October 24 | Halloween Calaveras: Young artists decorated wooden sugar-skull ornaments during Carbondale’s Candy Walk, with volunteers from SIU’s Art Education program and SI-CABE.