The Fort Wayne Museum of Art is pleased to present “Día de los Muertos,” on view through November 15, 2026.
Fort Wayne Museum of Art news release:
Día de los Muertos Exhibition and Celebration A community celebration and exhibition of joyous remembrance at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art
Fort Wayne, Indiana (October 27, 2026) – The Fort Wayne Museum of Art is pleased to present “Día de los Muertos,” on view through November 15, 2026. Artists, families, and community groups around the region were invited to honor a lost loved one or another important figure by constructing an altar in the museum.
Ancient civilizations throughout Latin America honored death as an essential part of life. After the Spanish conquest of Mexico, these rituals merged with Catholic observances of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. Modern Day of the Dead celebrations blend both cultures and continue to evolve, adapting new traditions as the holiday grows in popularity on both sides of the border.
The FWMoA exhibition features memorial altars, or ofrendas, places to leave offerings so the souls of the departed might find their way home and be nourished upon their arrival. Symbolic objects like sugar skulls, candles, colorful cut-tissue paper banners, bold marigolds, and monarch butterflies fill a gallery in celebration. Evolving from altars built in the home to honor deceased loved ones, altars in public spaces are often constructed in remembrance of those who have died for a cause or as a result of injustice.
For those who would like to honor a loved one, FWMoA creates a Community Altar. Visitors may write the name of a loved one on a butterfly, or they can complete the form to bring in a framed photo or other personal item to place on the altar.
Photo courtesy of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art
To celebrate, the public is invited to join in a day of fun with the family celebrating at the Día de los Muertos Family Celebration on Sunday, November 1 from 1-5pm. Guests will enjoy the gallery exhibition, traditional dancing, children’s activities, cash bar, mariachi, and Isabel’s Tacos with items for purchase. The celebration is free and open to the public.
Día de los Muertos at FWMoA is sponsored by NIPSCO, Partners 1st Federal Credit Union, the Ardelle and Theresa Glaze Foundation, and the Edward D. and Ione Auer Foundation.
General admission to the museum is free for FWMoA members, $10 adults, $8 for children 2-17, college students with valid ID, and seniors 65+. Children under 2 are free. Veterans, active military personnel, their spouse and children 17 and under, in the same household receive free admission. General admission is free on the second Thursday of the month. FWMoA gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10-6pm, Thursdays 10-8pm, and Sundays 12-5pm.
About the Fort Wayne Museum of Art
Beginning with art classes in 1888 given by J. Ottis Adams and later William Forsyth, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art (FWMoA) is now a leading non-profit art museum in Indiana. Regularly exhibiting nationally acclaimed artists, the FWMoA also stewards a collection of 10,000 objects of American and international art from the 18th century to today, including the state’s largest collection of glass sculpture. Through numerous educational programs that reach nearly 100,000 children and adults annually, FWMoA is committed to the collection, preservation, presentation, and interpretation of American and related art to engage broad and diverse audiences throughout the region to add value to their lives. FWMoA is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the country’s only organization representing the entire museum field, from art and history museums to science centers and zoos. For more information, visit www.fwmoa.org.
