Local artist creates collaborative ofrendas across downtown South Bend

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Frederico Rodriguez has created six collaborative ofrendas across South Bend in honor of Día de los Muertos.

The six installations can be found in South Bend Aloft, the South Bend Museum of Art, the South Bend Civil Theater, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, the St. Joe County Public Library's main branch, and the Morris Performing Arts Center.

Each ofrenda honors something different, like community heroes, ancestral recipes, or pets that have passed away.

Rodriguez worked with the South Bend Museum of Art to connect with community organizations and schools. While he's primary a mural artist, he says working together with the Boys and Girls Club, Stanley Clark students, St. Adalbert's Parish and the JWAS Foundation, for something so meaningful for his culture was a welcome challenge.

Ofrenda means "offering" in Spanish. During Día de los Muertos, or "Day of the Dead," Mexican families honor loved ones that passed away by creating altars dedicated to their memory. 

All six ofrendas are up only temporarily. They should be up until at least a little after Día de los Muertos, which falls on Nov. 2 this year.