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Grandmother Sharon Day and her grandson Sir Curtis Kirby III honor loved ones who have passed on by doing a series of ofrendas celebrating the lives they lived.

Ofrendas have been a way Sharon has celebrated her loved ones for years. An ofrenda is an altar, most notably associated with The Day of the Dead, that consists of a set of items often associated with a person who has passed, such as photographs, personal items that belonged to them and food the person particularly enjoyed. After the pandemic, Sharon and her grandson found it even more important to communicate with their family, relatives and community.

This project was created in partnership with Pangea World Theater.

The Artists

Sharon Day - Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe leader, Indigenous activist and Executive Director of the Indigenous Peoples Task Force

Sir Curtis Kirby III - Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe, artist and director of the Ikidowin Youth Theater Ensemble

About the Organization

Pangea World Theater strives to build a just world by creating a multi-disciplinary theater that embodies decolonizing practices of solidarity, sustainability and equity. Since its inception in 1995, it has worked with artists to create new aesthetic realities for an increasingly diverse audience.

“ Every person represented here, whether they’re infants or elders… they were loved and they lived their lives to the fullest.”

Sharon Day

Art In This Present Moment

This project is part of Art in This Present Moment, an initiative of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. We provided grants to three Minnesota-based nonprofit organizations to fund work by BIPOC artists who are changing and challenging dominant narratives through their craft.

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