Santa Barbara’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCASB) recently made the difficult decision to pause the awaited Día de los Muertos event this year. Linking to the recent presence of ICE in Santa Barbara County, this decision was made primarily to protect impacted communities. “We cannot celebrate as usual while communities are under threat; while people face deportation, lose essential support systems, and are forced to choose between cultural participation and personal safety,” shared MCASB’s Executive Director Dalia Garcia.
Presented as a special announcement at the organization’s 2025 Art Awards on July 13, Garcia shared that while “maintaining these traditions is an act of cultural survival, a way to preserve identity, resist erasure, and pass down knowledge to future generations…. As a contemporary art museum committed to all forms of artistic practice including music, dance, and traditional Indigenous ways of knowing, [they] recognize that culture cannot thrive in conditions of fear and injustice.”
In 2023, when MCASB first brought the Día de los Muertos Calenda to Santa Barbara, the event drew more than 1,000 attendees. That number shot up to nearly 10,000 people last year, highlighting the community’s deep need to connect with the authentic cultural experience that the holiday brings.
It was emphasized during the announcement to the audience of museum supporters that this cancellation was not a retreat, but rather, “a statement.” Garcia said, “It reflects our refusal to normalize policies that harm the most vulnerable and reaffirms our commitment to using art as a tool for justice, resistance, and care.”
Moving forward, MCASB will redirect resources towards initiatives that “protect and empower affected communities.” As Garcia poignantly put it: “Art is not separate from justice. It demands it.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.