Alebrije Workshop

The year is almost over, and so is our Honrando a Nuestros Ancestros exhibition.

In honor of the alebrije sculptures featured in our exhibit, the Illinois State Museum invites families to get messy with a hands-on workshop that explores how artists create these fantastical creatures on the last day of this exhibit. These spirit animal depictions originated in Mexico City in the 1930s when paper-maché artist Pedro Linares first imagined these creatures in a dream. Although Linares' initial work saw little success, his brightly colored creations have since become an iconic part of Mexican art culture.

Monica Zanetti, a local artist, guides this exploration into the fantastical spirit world of alebrijes. Families will collaborate on a large-scale paper-maché sculpture and paint a small-scale animal to take home.

The workshop will take place on Saturday, December 31, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Illinois State Museum classroom. We invite families and children ages seven and up. This program is free, but registration is required, and spaces are limited!

Funding for the program is made possible by the Ryder Family and Lilac Funds at the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln.