Downey's popular Dia de los Muertos festival returns Sunday

By Lee Wade

Andi Xoch, Boyle Heights based street and print artist, small business owner (Latinx with Plants), and community organizer, will present “Mi Tesoro (My Treasure)”, an oversized Community Altar, at the 11th annual Downey Dia de Los Muertos Art Festival, on Sunday Oct. 27, in and around the grounds of the Downey Theatre from 11 am to 8 pm. Admission and parking are free.

“Mi Tesoro,” a beloved and oft recorded tender norteno ballad, was the inspiration for Xoch’s altar, specifically, the 1972 rendition by Los Relampagos del Norte.

“The altars we build honor our ancestors and the things they loved, including their favorite music, and instruments,” Xoch said. “Mi Tesoro/My Treasure” expresses the tenderness we have towards those we love...”

Presented in the elegant plaza that fronts the landmark Downey Theatre, “Mi Tesoro” is a huge, eye-popping, thoroughly modern art installation-- playful, imaginative, and joyful, yet deeply and firmly influenced by Mexican mythology, imagery and tradition... “traditional, but unconventional,” with a 21st century, SoCal sensibility that is imaginative and theatrical and inclusive of traditional altar elements, such as candles, marigolds, monarch butterflies, plus musical instruments, fruits, foods and religious and indigenous iconography.

Born in Mexico and raised in East L.A., Xoch, 37, studied and later taught printing at the prestigious Self Help Graphics, specializing in doll and stencil making and murals. Her current artistry involves plants and foliage installations, structures and displays, utilizing rasquahe materials and aesthetics that pay homage to her upbringing, and are aligned with her political priorities.

During the Covid pandemic, Xoch expanded her love for indoor houseplants into spontaneous “Plant Parenthood” neighborhood pop-ups which led to a brick-and-mortar grand opening block party with so much buzz that it was covered by the L.A. Times. Her Instagram page, @latinxwithplants, has 44K+ followers.

The Downey Dia de Los Muertos Art Festival is a family friendly, educational and entertaining event that recognizes the importance of this long-time cultural tradition.

The annual “Community Altar” is one of the Festival’s star attractions; In 2021, the Downey altar was one of three designed that year by Ofelia Esparza, L.A’s most famous alturista.

Other festival creative platforms include traditional art (painting/ceramics/sculpture), silk-screen and watercolor workshops overseen by professional gallerists, the “Student Art Exhibition” for grades 4-12, “car altars”, continual, professional ballet folklorico in the 738-seat Downey Theatre, bilingual story times in conjunction with locally owned Mija Books www.mijabooks.com, and bilingual Day of the Dead themed puppet shows.

Aztec dancers perform throughout the day, plus two music stages, two beer gardens, 15+ food trucks and carts, shopping, and much more.

Calaveras decorating is under the auspices of Helen Nieto and Barbara Valenzuela, both of whom who learned the craft from Angela Villalba, who revived the art of sugar skull preparation and decoration in L.A.

Now in its 11th year, the festival has received state recognition for its contributions to the local art scene. Sponsors include Downey Federal Credit Union, Downey Nissan, PIH Health, Raising Cane’s and more.