Public Altar Honoring Day of the Dead Installed in Manhattan

An enormous public altar honoring Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, has been installed in Flatiron's North Plaza in Manhattan. The installation, titled "Twenty Petal Flower," opened to the public on October 26 and will remain until November 3. The altar is designed to allow participants to place offerings, candles, gifts, and mementos of their loved ones.

The installation is a collaboration between Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn and artisans from Mestiz Studio in Mexico's San Miguel de Allende. The altar is constructed from enlarged marigolds, which are traditionally used to guide the souls of the deceased back to their living family members. The marigolds are woven into a tiered arrangement, inspired by the terms for the Mexican marigold in Nahuatl and Spanish.

Daniel Valero, founder and creative director of Mestiz, stated that the altar aims to honor the people involved in the entire journey of the marigold, from its cultivation to its use in the ofrenda. The installation is part of a broader effort to celebrate Día de Muertos and engage the community in the traditions surrounding the holiday.