Scott Carpenter: Dia de Muertos

November 3-25, 2023
Scott Carpenter: Dia de Muertos
Opening reception: Friday, November 3, 4:00-9:00 PM
Gallery hours: Sat Nov 4, 10 AM – 5 PM; Sun Nov 5, 11 AM – 5 PM; Mon-Fri 9 AM – 5 PM and Sat, 10 AM – 1 PM. Additional hours: Tue Nov 7, 14 & 21, 7-9 PM; Thu Nov 9, 5-7 PM; Fri Nov 17, 5-7 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Wed-Fri Nov 22-24.

This portfolio of work honors the family culture of Oaxaca, Mexico. During Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), families visit the graves of their deceased loved ones and pray for them. People decorate graves and themselves with marigolds and flowers. They dress themselves in skull masks and skeletons to celebrate life, death, and rebirth. Spirits of ancestors are invited to coexist with their relatives in the earthly world. The spirits are enticed back through altars of their old belongings, personal sugar skulls, and the love of their family. Both the spiritual and celebratory nature of Dia de Muertos are explored in this portfolio. The photographer seeks to share the beauty of the celebration, and the light in the living as they entertain their ancestors.

Scott Carpenter is an amateur photographer and native of Greeneville, TN. He has traveled extensively throughout the world, photographing people and cultural moments. He loves to photograph because photography invites us to understand each other. Photography is a way to share the world as he sees it: in each serene moment there is beauty. In each face there is light. Carpenter’s photography discovers the soul of the person and illuminates their inner beauty.