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Day of the Dead 2026 Immersive Learning Artist Residency Program — Oaxaca, Mexico

Type: Residencies, Workshops, Exchanges [View all]
Posted by: Arquetopia Foundation & International Artist Residencies
Deadline: Thu, January 15th, 2026

Immersive Learning Artist Residency Program — Day of the Dead: Speaking, Tasting, Creating
Arquetopia Location: Oaxaca, Mexico

Duration: 2 weeks

Program Dates: October 26 to November 9, 2026

https://www.arquetopia.org/day-of-the-dead-residency

(Limited spaces, awarded first-come, first-served.)

 

Why is the concept of death so integral to our understanding of collective experience? Across centuries, death has shaped social bonds, ritual knowledge, and the ways we process the fragility of life. In Mexico, the annual celebrations of Day of the Dead at the end of October and the beginning of November mark the closing of the maize cultivation cycle, and symbolically welcome the temporary return of deceased relatives and beloved individuals to Earth.

In Oaxaca, Day of the Dead is not only a commemorative act—it is a living dialogue between memory, food, land, and community. One of the most intimate dimensions of this celebration occurs in kitchens and communal ovens: the making of the Pan de Muerto, a Day of the Dead bread that combines ancestral knowledge, embodied technique, and symbolic language, where every gesture—from preparing the masa to tracing bone-shaped designs—carries memory.

This special program focuses on the significance of Day of the Dead as a cornerstone of national identity rooted in Indigenous wisdom, tracing its influence on the development of Mexican modern art, and exploring its transformation into a secular and popular symbol. The program examines the performative nature of ritual, with special attention to mortuary celebrations and the relationship between food, offering, and remembrance. Within the context of this national holiday, participants will engage in practical Spanish language lessons, culinary exploration, and hands-on learning, fostering a multidisciplinary approach that integrates foodways, art creation, and linguistic practice. The program prompts critical inquiry into concepts of eternity, nationalism, and identity, questioning the use of death as a national symbol while unpacking its representation as a melancholic or morbid aspect of identity construction.

At the heart of the Oaxaca program is an embodied learning experience through the traditional preparation of Pan de Muerto. Participants will work alongside master bakers who pass on the knowledge of preparing dough, shaping symbolic forms, creating edible designs that evoke bones and tears (huesitos and lágrimas), and understanding the ingredients that anchor the bread to the land: milled wheat, native maize, anise, orange blossom, and the warmth of communal ovens. The process becomes an experimentation of sensory language—where aroma, texture, and form speak to a system of values around hospitality, absence, and remembrance. Through this perspective, food moves beyond sustenance and becomes a cultural document, a trace of cosmology shaped through flour, fire, and memory.

The Arquetopia Immersive Learning Program: Day of the Dead is a 2-week intensive experience designed to provide competitive professional opportunities for emerging and mid-career artists, curators, art historians, and students aged 20 and above from around the world. This distinctive program offers critical perspectives on the representation of death in Mexico as a foundational element of national identity. By examining the mythologies surrounding its origins and their reinterpretation over time, the program equips participants with analytical tools to understand the performative nature of Day of the Dead rituals, engaging with emotional portrayals, food as ephemeral art, material culture, and the evolving historical significance of death in the construction of identity. Participants will contextualize their own practices by learning bread making as a form of ephemeral art directly linked to the creation of ofrendas (altars), a central element of Day of the Dead celebrations in Oaxaca.

PROGRAM INCLUSIONS
This 2-week program includes 8 hours of instruction in ephemeral Day of the Dead culinary art techniques, including the preparation of Pan de Muerto, symbolic design elements, and the edible dimension of the altar. Participants will have the opportunity to join guided visits to traditional bakeries, communal ovens, markets, and local altars. Alongside these artistic and culinary endeavors, attendees will engage in 12 hours of Spanish language lessons, divided into 6 hours of grammar and 6 hours of immersive on-site language practice. They will embark on food tours (4 hours total) to explore the regional culinary landscape and spend 6 hours on academic visits to museums, cemeteries, and relevant cultural sites. Participants will also benefit from 2 hours of artistic mentoring sessions.

All activities are designed to promote intensive creative work and critical dialogue; therefore, participants are expected to dedicate self-directed hours to developing their artistic or research projects. Reading materials are provided in English, and workshop instruction is in Spanish.

Staff Support:

Each resident artist meets weekly with our directorial and curatorial staff for personalized mentoring, research assistance/resources, project guidance, and critique

Accommodation and Local Transportation:

Furnished, private bedroom — 24-hour access to the kitchen for participants to prepare their own meals; meals/food are the participants’ responsibility — Wireless Internet — Use of Arquetopia’s common spaces — Shared, serviced (single) bathrooms with modern fixtures and showers — Housekeeping — Downtown arrival pickup and departure dropoff transportation provided — Affordable, everyday public transportation is available from the program vicinity into the city — Participants receive an orientation regarding the local transportation system upon arrival

Studio Workspace:

24-hour access to shared studio — Personal workspace with large table — Some tools provided — Materials and supplies for the instructional course provided — Materials and supplies for extended project production are not included but are available for purchase locally

DURATION / TIME PERIOD
Session is 2 weeks, October 26 to November 9, 2026.

 

HOW TO APPLY—

Visit the Arquetopia Foundation website at https://www.arquetopia.org

E-mail us at info@arquetopia.org

Complete and submit the Arquetopia Artist-in-Residence Online Application Form https://www.arquetopia.org/residency-application, following the instructions indicated.

Following selection, applicants are notified immediately via e-mail.

Arquetopia is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our diverse local and international community. Arquetopia’s resident artist and staff backgrounds vary in all aspects. As part of Arquetopia’s mission is to promote diversity, Arquetopia actively fights discrimination by offering access to its programs and activities without regard to race, color, gender or gender expression, national origin, age, religion, creed, or sexual orientation.

 

Main Website: https://www.arquetopia.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arquetopia

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arquetopia

Posted on Fri, December 12th, 2025
Expires on Thu, January 15th, 2026

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